


The Boss Perspective

by KeJae



Category: Chuck (TV), White Collar
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-01 18:09:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10195904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeJae/pseuds/KeJae
Summary: Peter was making plans to bring his first recruit into the FBI office.  His choice wasn’t the best of the probies from the recent graduate class from Quantico, nope.  He had picked a young con artist with all of the alleged crimes to prove how risky of an undertaking he was.  This is Hughes perspective on the situation, and what he sees that he doesn’t share with Peter.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Quinis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinis/gifts).



****

*******

Sitting at his desk reviewing the file open before him, Hughes had a lot to consider before he either approved or denied the request in front of him.

If he approved it, he could be risking the reputation of his entire department, his career, and possibly be allowing a convicted felon to learn more about law enforcement.  Something the brilliant kid could use to his advantage for committing future crimes, if he stuck around long enough to learn anything useful that is.

Should he deny it though, then he could be throwing away a great resource and potential asset to the team’s closure rate.  The young man had proven genius at committing crimes, so it was likely he could be just as good at solving them.

Ultimately, the decision relied on the ability of his lead agent to perform as a handler and overseer to the consulting informant.

Looking down to the floor below, Hughes watched Peter get another cup of office brew.  The coffee wasn’t particularly great, but Peter wasn’t too picky.

Chuckling, Hughes couldn’t help but think back to the sheer effort it had taken trying to steal the agent away from Violent Crimes.  It was a shame the other department had seen his file and snatched him up first.  If only he hadn’t been out sick that week, maybe he would have had the agent from the beginning?

Peter Burke had been a prime candidate for recruitment when he graduated from Quantico.  The agent was competitive in combat, an excellent marksman, a determined archeologist for digging up the truth of a matter, and a known reputation for his gun instinct in field work.  That wasn’t even touching his puzzle solving or math skills, which were invaluable for deductive and reasoning training.

No, agents like him didn’t come along every year, which was why his mentor Agent Kramer was sorry to lose him to New York, and Hughes had been sorry to see Violent Crimes get him.

The loss was something he worked to rectify though.  As soon as he was back in the office and reviewed the graduating class, he tracked Peter down and made him an offer… that was refused.

As much as he hated to admit it, he respected the decision.  Peter had accepted the position in violent crimes, so he should honor his decision.  It would give him great experience if situations should escalate in the field regardless of division, and learning the harsher realities of the criminal world would help prevent him from getting complacent, which could save his life in field work.

Not giving up, the veteran had encouraged Peter, offered helpful advice when needed, and often brought up perks to working in White Collar.  It was all a part of his plan to build a working foundation, and by reminding Peter that his department would always welcome him, offering an open door for the agent to move through when he was ready for a change.

What finally made the difference though, was when Peter’s team responded to a break in.  The gallery seemed like any other crime, until the agent met the assistant manager.  Then everything changed.

Taking advantage of the circumstances, Hughes laid it on thick as Peter talked about his girlfriend’s concerns for his safety.  She was proud of him being an agent, but she didn’t want to worry about him so much.

Combined, Hughes’ continued effort to poach Peter mixed with his fiancé’s concern eventually won him over.  The young agent approached Hughes, they talked, papers were filed, and the transfer was official.

Ever since then, it had been a pleasure to watch the young man grow in experience and confidence. 

There hadn’t been a question as to who Hughes wanted for his second in command when the position opened up.  Reviewing applications was more of a formality, because Peter was his first choice from the beginning.

Still, there was one thing Hughes questioned when it came to Peter, and that was the request to take Neal Caffrey on as a CI.  Maybe it was just him, but the agent wasn’t comfortable with the prospect of having such an adept criminal in his office. 

Why couldn’t Peter make his first recruit the choice of the probies from the recent Quantico graduates?  Instead, he had picked a young con artist with all of the alleged crimes to prove how risky an undertaking he was.

Having mulled on the decision for a few days, Hughes decided to trust Peter.  The agent knew the kid best, and if he was willing to risk it, then Hughes would give him his chance to prove himself.

Signing with a flourish, Hughes closed the folder and moved it to the done file.  The decision had been made.

After a few weeks, Caffrey walked into the office for the first time.

He was wearing a fancy suit, rat pack by the look of it, and flipped a Fedora onto the hat stand behind his desk as Peter pointed it out.  Taking his seat, the con began looking through the drawers to see what they contained, their arrangement, and to begin planning his space.  Forced to focus by Peter’s command, the young man watched as Peter showed him some basic points on his computer before Jones was instructed to get him set up.

Jogging up the stairs, Peter knocked briefly before entering the office.  “Morning Hughes.  Caffrey found himself a benefactress, a wealthy woman within his radius.  It’s the kid’s luck.  She has a million dollar view of the city, her deceased husband’s old rat pack wardrobe, and a loft apartment that’s worth more than my house.”  Peter explained the con’s attire as he took a seat.

Frowning, Hughes didn’t like the sound of it.  If Caffrey was so fortunate to have a lavish lifestyle legally, what would he have to do in order to hold the standard in the rest of his pursuits?  Peter was obviously concerned as well, or he wouldn’t have been so direct in his approach.  “How do you plan to handle it?”

Sighing, Peter didn’t have much he could do.  “Watch and see, I guess.”  He shrugged.  “She is aware of our agreement, so I have to take the forms for her to sign this evening, but she also doesn’t seem to find a problem with him having made poor decisions in his past.  On one side, it means she can be supportive and help him find his feet, but on the other, she might encourage the wrong behavior causing him to be imprisoned again.”

That was the rub of it, there was no guarantee their experiment would be successful, and anyone who got too close could be burned in the end.  “You said she is familiar with the agreement, and her husband was a felon, so she must be aware of the risk and willing to take the chances.  There is nothing else that can be done except forbidding the agreement and forcing him to move back to the hotel.  Do you think it will be necessary?”

Thoughtful, Peter took a few moments to weigh the good against the bad.  Coming to a decision, he answered.  “No, I think she could be good for him.  Her husband reformed for her and their children, so she would be familiar with the challenges he faces, and she is accepting of him which will help him get a start in civilian life.  Should that change, then we can take action according to the circumstances.”

Seeing the concern reduced in Peter’s expression, Hughes knew the agent had worked through what was bothering him.  Wrapping up their impromptu meeting, he sent the agent on his way as there was plenty of paperwork yet to be completed for setting Caffrey up while working on their case against the Dutchman.

It only took a week before the young con man cut anklet, which was actually longer than Hughes had expected.

When Peter called in the report and mobilized the team, Hughes began filling out the paperwork for the con’s transfer back to prison.  Once Peter caught him, the agreement would be over.

To his surprise, the call came through a few hours later indicating that Caffrey hadn’t voluntarily run with the intent of escape, but had gotten too creative with the book on warrant law.  Now there was something entirely unexpected.  A con artist who risked prison for the chance to continue working with law enforcement?

Granted, if he had returned to prison the deal would have been off, but running would have only added to his sentence, so there was something more at stake than simply the difference between a prison cell and his two mile radius.  Perhaps Peter was right in his theory that Caffrey was looking for Kate?  The young woman had dropped off the radar again, so perhaps there was something to Caffrey’s concern, but more than likely, she was simply avoiding him.

Scrapping the forms, Hughes found himself relieved.  Although he wasn’t fond of the con, and he still questioned the decision to take him on in the first place, there was something about the man that was almost endearing.  It was something to watch carefully, because the quality was what made him such a good con man.

*******

Having Caffrey on the team meant it didn’t take long before the outrageous plans started rolling in.

Hughes knew they were pursuing Ghovat, but he didn’t expect Peter to bring Caffrey into his office with the suggestion of throwing a party to draw the criminal out.  What were they going to do?  Send a digital invite through the social media and watch for a Ghost plus one to accept?

The part that was particularly surprising was Peter’s willingness to go along with the crazy suggestion.

Focusing on Peter, he tried to ignore the excited expression on Caffrey’s face.  Of course the kid liked the idea of throwing a party, and what better excuse than a case?

“Looking at his M. O., he has a thing for models.”  Peter’s reason for agreeing wasn’t inspiring, but at least he had the decency to look like he was trying to make it work without the childish excitement his CI was displaying.

Although his sarcasm was mild, it was the best response Hughes could come up with.  “Yeah?  Well, me too.”  Seeing Jones pass by, he decided to get the young agent’s opinion.  “Hey, Jones, you like models?”

“Love them.”  The agent added in passing.

“Jones likes them too.  Is there a plan in here somewhere?  Call me when one shows up.”  Peter should have known better than to present the idea with such limited reasoning.

Walking away, he was disappointed in his favorite agent.  If Caffrey was going to continue having such a bad influence, it wouldn’t take long for him to regret the decision in taking him on.  He was never overly for it in the first place.

Hearing Peter following him, Hughes turned around to see what else his agent had to say.

“Look, Caffrey, Ghovat, these guys are cut from the same cloth.  Neal’s convinced that our ghost will show up.  I say we trust his instincts on this one.”  Then he said the line that was the most convincing.  “We’ve never been this close to Ghovat.”

Considering the point, Hughes was more willing to risk it on the chance of getting Ghovat, than he was for the single case or the consultant who suggested it. 

Waiving the con man over, Hughes watched as Caffrey startled before joining them while Peter had the hint of a smile.  Ignoring their reactions, he had come to a decision.  “I’ll authorize five grand for this party.”

How they would manage it was up to them, and based on the suggestions flying, they would come up with a way; especially since Elizabeth had been volunteered.

Rolling his eyes as he walked away, Hughes wasn’t going to listen to the argument erupting behind him.  However, he didn’t miss the sound of Caffrey’s excited hit to Peter’s chest, or Peter’s directive “Don’t hit me.”  Apparently Caffrey was feeling more comfortable crossing the lines, but Peter was still trying to keep them.  That was good news.

Watching as the case progressed; he had to admit that Caffrey gave them Ghovat’s face, so the party was successful.

It wasn’t until later when the case spiraled out of control that Hughes took a more involved role in the operation.

Summarizing what was at stake, he expected Peter to approach him about the model.  “We’re putting this girl’s life at risk.”

“We could put the entire monetary system of Europe at risk.  Guess who wins?”  Although he felt for the girl, the case had more at stake than one person.

Continuing to give orders, he was surprised at Caffrey’s enthusiasm.  Ordering him to put his hand down repeatedly, he told him what his job in the operation would be.  “A coffee run.  You’re not even supposed to be here.”

With that in mind, it shouldn’t have been such a surprise when Caffrey showed up at the sting. 

Dragging the kid into the van, he didn’t want him exposing their field base of operations.  Although Ghovat knew they would be around, pointing out where wasn’t helpful.

Focusing on the case, there were more important things than the con.  That is, until the con pulled out his phone and took over the operation.  Then he proved rather helpful by jamming the phone to prevent the bomb going off and distracting Ghovat long enough for Agent Cruz to cuff him.

Closing the case, Hughes had to admit, it was another win, and Caffrey was instrumental in making it happen.

*******

Their first real trial of trust was a case with an odd beginning.

The suspect, Bareli, brought them another case when a prayer Bible was stolen from his church. 

Pursuing Caffrey’s lead of a ‘true believer’ they managed to pick up the crumb trail leading them to the suspect who was last known to be in possession of the missing artifact.  Unfortunately, finding him was made easy because he was a corpse.

Standing on the pier with Agents Burke and Ruiz, Hughes had to play referee.  The two agents didn’t get along.  A lot of it was because Peter was smart, and Ruiz… wasn’t as smart.  Reminding Peter that Ruiz was the leader of Organized Crime because he refused the promotion every year worked marginally in calming him down with only an eye roll for response.  

However, bringing up the lack of trust in his favorite con didn’t help matters.  “He’s not comfortable sharing intel while Caffrey’s with you.”  He explained Ruiz’s particular reluctance to cooperate.  This wasn’t just a case of rivalry between divisions.

“Oh, come on.”  Peter turned defensively.  He was growing rather comfortable with the criminal himself, and apparently forgetting how others weren’t so fond.

“He’s a convicted felon, Peter.”  The reminder seemed to be necessary.  Lines between the con and Fed were heading in the direction of blurring.  “And Ruiz isn’t the only one with reservations.”  Caffrey worked well, but he was still a risk.

Taking a deep breath when he shared his opinion of Caffrey, Peter wasn’t thrilled, but he wasn’t going to push it.

Clapping the younger agent on the shoulder, he reminded him that he had other cases to pursue with the advice to let Ruiz take the case without a fuss.

Later he learned that having Caffrey around the office also made for other interesting discoveries, like when Peter updated him on their investigation into Maria Fiametta.  She hadn’t even been on the radar last he knew, so obviously Caffrey had been working his so called magic.

What made it a test of faith, was when Caffrey was allowed to go off anklet for the first time.  He had a suspected criminal and murderer mixed with a quarter million for a good start towards funding a getaway. 

There was also the risk of the kid ending up dead, so they were trusting his skills for evading danger too.  Peter was worried about his CI, but Ruiz wouldn’t ‘lose any sleep’ should anything happen.

It turned out that they were both right.  Caffrey was shot at, but he was unscathed and the Bible was returned to its rightful owners.  There was a moment of concern, but everything turned out fine.

*******

When an agent went missing, he was more willing to risk their CI than Peter was.  He even had to argue with the younger agent in order to convince him it was the best way to go.

 Peter was expressive of his doubts.  “Neal is White Collar and non violent.  Wouldn’t an agent from Violent or Organized Crimes be more suited?”  He tried to protect his consultant.

Holding his ground, Hughes insisted.  “We need somebody who understands money laundering.  If Lao Shen found a way to blow Agent Costa’s cover, then someone who isn’t an agent would stand a better chance of infiltrating his organization.  This is the life of an agent who maybe waiting for rescue, there isn’t time to waste training an agent when we have a CI with the necessary skills.”

Giving in, Peter had to admit Caffrey was good at working through a pinch, and that could be what would make the difference between him and the agent.  “At least give him as much warning as possible.  I don’t want him to disappear too.”

Moving out onto the landing, Hughes waved Caffrey up to join them in the conference room.

Taking a seat, Caffrey listened as they caught him up on the case.  Playing with the Dominos, he lined them up after he looked each one over.

Breaking down the story to the main points, Peter and Hughes told Caffrey about Agent Costa’s cover as a drug dealer working with the Chinese money launderer Lao Shen.  The last reports had indicated they were making a brief stop in New York before Shen would return to China.  Since the agent had then gone missing, it was assumed his cover was blown causing him to be killed or forcing him to lay low until it was safe enough to return to the Bureau.

“So, why you telling me this?”  Caffrey pulled an innocent expression.

“Nicholas Halden.”  Although his tone could be taken as a question, Hughes knew Caffrey had created the alias.

“Who?”  Considering the crimes the character was allegedly involved in, there were plenty of reasons for the consultant to be careful of what he admitted to.

Running through a brief summary of the alias, Peter asked Caffrey if it rang ‘any bells.’

Slanting a knowing glance at Hughes, Peter passed the question about immunity on up the ladder. 

Returning the expression, it wasn’t an unexpected request.  If Caffrey admitted to being Halden without that on the table, he could add to his prison sentence with more charges for crimes committed.  Agreeing, it was ultimately about rescuing an agent over pursuing a captured criminal.  “Done.”

Talking through the game, they discussed Pai Gow as a Chinese form of poker played with Dominos.

Keeping his promise, Hughes warned the kid.  “I’m not gonna lie to you.  This is a dangerous one, Caffrey.”

Turning as the Dominos fell, it was unnerving, like the first had already fallen and they were experiencing the chain reaction of falling tiles.  Would it end in a fallen mess, or would there be justice served to make the mess worthwhile? 

As the last one seemed to slam onto the table, even Peter turned with a nervous twitch.

“High stakes.  I’m in.”  Caffrey’s calm was a contradiction to the nerves the two agents were displaying.  He didn’t seem intimidated by the weight being placed on his shoulders.

Having stood watching him, Hughes found that interesting.  He expected the con to show nerves, to be worried about such a dangerous assignment.  Was his strength a mask, or was he more comfortable with high stakes situations than they expected?

The case didn’t provide a certain answer, but it did cause his opinion to lean towards the belief that Caffrey was more experienced than they were being led to believe with his White Collar persona.

*******

Getting an unwanted visit, it was never a good thing when OPR showed up.  Keeping the agent occupied while he was waiting for Agent Burke and their consultant Caffrey to return, Hughes’ conversation with Agent Fowler indicated that Caffrey was up to something, and it wasn’t looking like it would bode well for the rest of the team.

Considering the agent had Burke’s file with the pretense of a standard review, Peter was at risk for getting burned by his favorite consultant, turning friend.

Watching Peter through the interview, Hughes tried to gather as much information as possible.  Peter knew Caffrey better than anyone, and he was the lead agent on the case, so he was the best one to provide answers.

Although Fowler seemed surprised at Burke’s ability to state what was going on before it had been revealed, he wasn’t.  It was standard operating procedure where Peter was concerned.

“This whole thing is a waste of time.  Caffrey didn’t do it.”  Peter was confident.

His stance was the most revealing when the missing tracking data was brought up.  Peter was certain it was impossible for Caffrey to tamper with the anklet.  Instead, he suggested looking into the Marshalls as the agency responsible for monitoring it.

Stepping in, he corrected Peter’s assumption.  “Caffrey belongs to the bureau.  That makes him our problem.”  Unfortunately, the situation couldn’t be passed off to the Marshalls, instead, it was more certainly placed before them.

Allowing Burke to take the lead, he trusted him to get to the bottom of the situation.  Going archeologist, Peter pulled Caffrey’s old work, visited Adrian Tulane, and did his best to ensure the right person went down for the crime.

Despite his efforts, he was present when Jones rushed into the conference room with the warning before Fowler could announce that Caffrey was under arrest.

Based on the expression Caffrey was wearing, the kid was extremely surprised and feeling betrayed.  If he didn’t know better, he would consider his innocence.

Remaining quietly to the side, he reviewed the evidence and watched the procession as Caffrey was guided out of the office.  Watching the disappointed looks floating through the team, he realized that he was disappointed too.  Somewhere along the way, he had come to like the kid.

Caffrey shot some questions through the FBI the next day when his lawyer won the request for Open Discovery.  The Bureau was required by law to turn over every piece of paper they had on Neal Caffrey.

Telling Peter the news had an unexpected effect, the agent actually looked cheerful at the prospect.  He smiled.  The knowledge that Caffrey was fighting was a good indication of him being up to something, but the evidence was still stacked against him. 

Unable to do anything, the team was forced to pick up the crumb trail and try to figure out what Caffrey was up to.  The puzzles included what he expected to find in a truckload of paperwork, the purchase of a Bakery, and the question of why Caffrey moved his arraignment to the Judge’s chambers preceded the concern of his escape.

Arriving on the scene, it was interesting to see the spark return to Peter for the first time since he had arrested Caffrey for the third time.  The thrill of the chase was on.

Getting an update on how the escape had occurred, he soon found himself playing referee as Fowler and Burke began to argue. 

“Burke, find him again.”  He knew Peter was the best person for it.  No one had a better track record for the job or understanding of the con.

“I’m not comfortable with Agent Burke running this operation.”  Fowler tried to undermine Peter’s position.

Waving his concern aside, he wasn’t going to fall for it.  Something about the situation wasn’t settling well with him, so putting his best agent forward was the wisest decision. 

“Now get to work.”  He ordered the agents to get their job done and walked away. 

Leaving them to work through the case, he had his own instincts to follow.  Pulling out his phone as soon as he was alone, he dialed a number he rarely called.  “Colonel, we need to meet.  Something is brewing here and I need to be prepared before it explodes.”

The rest of the case was a series of updates pertaining to the search, the real perpetrator being arrested, and Caffrey returning to the office proven innocent of at least one crime.  As expected, Burke was successful at getting justice served.

Still, despite the appearance of resolution, he couldn’t help but feel like the trouble was only beginning.

*******

While Peter and Caffrey were busy pursuing a Boiler Room scam that had been transferred to them from Texas, Hughes was otherwise occupied.

Sliding into the table at a random coffee shop, he sipped his cup while the large man acrossed from him flipped the newspaper in between them.  Opening it to the pre arranged page, he turned the pictures around.  The image of Peter was on top, and it didn’t cause much of a reaction.  Mostly just a grunt before he flicked it aside.  However, Neal Caffrey’s picture caused him to stop breathing for a fraction of a second before he frowned deeply.

“Something bothering you?”  Hughes questioned his contact.

“He maybe one of the good guys, but he is a royal pain.”  The picture was set aside with a low growl.

“Who is he?”  Hughes was extremely interested.  If Caffrey wasn’t who he pretended to be, and he was someone the colonel knew, then that could change everything.

“Above your pay grade.”  It wasn’t out of his reach though, and the colonel’s attitude indicated he was going to be keeping an eye on the man. 

“Is he the person drawing all of this attention?”  Hughes wanted to know if his team was taking the heat from whatever ‘Caffrey’ was up to.

“If history has anything to say, then whatever he is doing will likely draw a lot of trouble.  Then again, no one can handle trouble the way he does.”  The colonel muttered again.

Although it was frustrating, Hughes knew it was the business.  You never shared everything you knew, and you certainly didn’t share it with someone who wasn’t in the right circle.  At least he had somewhere to start.  Caffrey wasn’t the con he presented himself as.

“I’ll see what I can dig up.”  The big guy slid out of his seat and walked away with the newspaper in hand and the pictures contained inside.

Remaining in his seat, Hughes continued to slowly work through his coffee.  Thinking through everything he had seen since Caffrey had been brought into the office, he had to admit Caffrey fit it better than any CI he had ever seen before.  And, in twenty five years, he had seen many consultants come and go.

When the coffee ran dry, he slid out of the booth and walked for the door.  Tossing the cup, he pulled out his phone as he hit the street.  Calling in another favor, he started working on his own research.

Arriving back in the office, he asked Peter for an update and learned they were playing a risky game with Caffrey performing as a corporate spy.  Listening as Peter described the events of their operation, his frown grew deeper.

Based on what Peter said, Caffrey was comfortable with guns, skilled at performing in an espionage role, and not the most trusting.  Although the tension between the partners wasn’t mentioned, it was obvious in how they had been acting around each other.  Since he had been watching them, Hughes had picked up on the body language.  Caffrey was wary of Peter, and seemed worried about something, while Peter was concerned what his problem was.

Combining the new information he had gathered over lunch with the observations he had made in the office, he assumed Caffrey was working on something in relation to Kate Moreau, and for some reason, he was having a problem with Peter.  Considering what kind of an agent Peter was, whatever the issue was would blow over, but it didn’t bode well for the partnership in the short run.

“Be careful.  We both know that something has Caffrey upset, but don’t let it get in the way of your current case.  Playing both sides against each other is a dangerous game, and you are in the middle as much as he is.”  Hughes warned.  According to the colonel, Caffrey could take care of himself, and Peter was a brilliant agent, but there were still unknown elements that could prove disastrous.

Watching from his perch, Hughes was able to observe Caffrey working at his desk at any point.  It gave him an advantage.  Researching the man’s secrets, while being able to keep an eye on him, provided double the information gathering.  The search was slow going, but Hughes was an old hand at patiently pursuing his suspect, or researching the man who might be the undercover spy on his team.


	2. Chapter Two

*******

Working quietly in the background, Hughes kept up pretenses.  On the surface, he wasn’t aware of anything that was going on in his office, when in reality, he was more aware than anyone as far as he knew.

Having gotten a request to set Fowler up with a spot in the office, he figured it wouldn’t hurt.  The old axiom of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer came to mind.

From his vantage point, he could see Peter and Caffrey watching the conference room where Fowler was set up.  Something was going on.  Preparing for a long night, he knew the next stage of the situation was about to happen.

As the office cleared out and everyone went home for the evening, Hughes knew he needed to call it a night as well.  At least as far as the official business side was concerned.  Even though he was off the clock, he was still an agent and working through his own channels to see what was coming.

When his phone went off with the warning he wasn’t surprised.  Peter was pursuing Fowler, an OPR agent, which was an action tantamount to career suicide.  A prediction that was being proven true based on the content of the conversation.

Ending the call, Hughes did the only thing he could to help Peter.  Standing on his doorstep and waiting for his chance, he also hoped Neal would learn of the problem through some channel of his own.  If the man was everything his research was hinting at, then he would be the best means of saving Peter’s career.

“Hughes.”  Peter wasn’t expecting him based on the tone of his voice, but then, he wasn’t prone to house calls so there wasn’t a precedent.  “Come on in.”

“Hello, Peter.”  Then looking over to where Elizabeth was oddly sitting on sleeping bags, he greeted her as well.  “Evening, Elizabeth.”

With a slight wave, she responded in kind.  “Hello, Reese.”

“What, you’re camping?”  Hughes asked in an effort to add humor to the situation, because what he came to warn Peter about was far from amusing.

“Long story.  What’s wrong?”  Peter jumped straight to the point.

Allowing his attempt at humor to fall away, Hughes turned serious.  Looking at Elizabeth, he asked for privacy.  “I need to speak to Peter.”

“Of course.  Yeah.”  Elizabeth was up quickly and moving to another room.

“Thanks, hon.” Peter watched her go with trepidation.  The agent knew what he was up against, that things were spiraling towards out of control, and he assumed Hughes was only going to add to it.

Checking out the window from habit, Hughes also needed a moment to collect his thoughts.  Burke was his favorite agent, a man he knew he could trust and rely on, so he didn’t like to see him getting drug through the mud by corrupt law enforcement for simply doing his job.

Taking a deeper breathe, he dove in with Peter’s complete focus.  “I’m not here in official capacity.  I’m here as your friend.”  His approach only made Peter more nervous.  “OPR has launched an investigation into you.”

“Why?”  Peter wasn’t surprised, but he needed to know the angle of attack in order to defend himself.

Answering with a question, Hughes continued.  “Did you take a bribe from a judge?”

It was Peter’s turn to stare off into the middle distance in an effort to collect his thoughts.  Although his eyes danced acrossed the things of his home, he wasn’t actually seeing them.  “I spoke with Judge Clark.”

“Did you offer you money?”

“Yes.”

Worried what the answer might be, Hughes prodded him along.  “Did you say no?”

Speaking in a torrent, Peter told him the story of what had transpired.  “I went o her office, told her about our investigation and she responded with a bribe.  I wanted to play it out, see where it led.”  Then turning to Hughes, he stated.  “You’d have done the same thing.”

Unable to negate the statement, Hughes was still noncommittal.  “Maybe.”  After all, he was running his own investigation that was another form of career suicide.  Poking around into who Caffrey might actually be had thrown up several walls, indicating he was also being protected from on high.  The difference was that his sources indicated Neal to be some kind of an ally, and not necessarily a threat.

Poking a hole in any theory Peter had of slipping through on this one, Hughes picked their conversation back up.  “OPR’s got you on videotape.  Fowler’s presenting it tomorrow morning.” 

Knowing Peter would burn through the midnight oil, he finished with the last warning he could give.  “I can’t protect you, Peter.”  In the past he had done his best for the man he liked to think of as his protégé, the next generation he would pass everything he could on to, but this was one of those matters where the younger man had to work it through on his own.

Letting himself out while Peter thought through the ramifications, and Elizabeth, who had probably eavesdropped, tried to help him deal with it, he had his own midnight oil to burn.  Making a call while he drove through the city, Hughes asked his contact if there was any more information to be had on Mentor, the mysterious operation Fowler was using as a cover for his presence in the city.

After receiving the update, he asked for his contact to alert Jones.  The man was military, so it wasn’t surprising that he would reach out to a military member of the team with the news of his teammate in trouble.  From there, it was bound to reach the rest of the team while the means of spreading would remain unnoticed. 

Getting a few hours of sleep, he left the younger agents to make progress before he was ready to get up and make a day of it again.

Entering the office, he didn’t bother playing shocked to see everyone at work so early.  Instead, he walked past them and made his way up to his own space.  There was a job to be done.

Unsurprisingly, the files were sealed before they were able to discover anything too damaging to the judge in question.

When his leads appeared to have dried up, Peter met him in his office.  They talked about the basic ramifications of what was going on, nothing too shocking.  After all, Fowler was expected anytime and they didn’t want him to learn anything from their conversation.

As it was, he interrupted when Hughes was warning Peter of the tap on his phone.  It was a warning that could be rather advantageous if he wanted to send Fowler on a wild chase.

“Garrett.”  He acknowledged the other man before slanting a glance at Peter.  It was time to see if Neal had been able to work his magic on the situation.  “So, what exactly do you wanna show me?”

It was wrong how excited Fowler seemed to be as he had the essence of a grin on his face while shaking the tape.  His sideways glance at Peter was indication of a threat and had the other agent glaring back.

Putting the tape in and pressing play, Fowler watched in anticipation as he waited for the incriminating evidence to begin.

Exchanging a glance with Peter, Hughes could tell the younger man was nervous.

The screen remained blank, despite Fowler’s efforts to fast forward to the evidence, so Hughes questioned the circumstances.  “Is there anything recorded on this?”  Really, he was glad to know Neal had succeeded at whatever he had done.

“They must’ve sent the wrong tape.”  Fowler excused the situation by passing the blame.

“Until you have the right one, stop wasting my time.”  Hughes dismissed the other agent. 

Once they were alone again, he exchanged another look with Peter.  They both knew Neal had done something, but neither was going to question too deeply.  Peter because he knew they were facing a stacked deck of corruption, and Hughes because he knew Neal would find some way to work it through without ramifications if he could help it.  Whether that meant entirely legal wasn’t something he was pushing too hard on.  His research indicated that Neal had other contacts and legal means of getting the job done than most were aware of, so even if it didn’t look legal, it might be through some means.

While Peter walked away, Hughes looked down on the floor of the office below.  Neal was there, standing with a smooth smile and confident expression.  That said it all, he had definitely taken care of the problem, and this particular issue hopefully wouldn’t come back.  Getting up, Hughes had other work to focus on.  Just because this attack had been deflected, didn’t mean Neal would be able to handle the next one.

Spending the rest of the day working, they could only wait until it was time for the next play.

As expected, Peter approached him the next morning with a plan to set Fowler up.  Although he didn’t specify all of the details, Hughes understood enough to grasp that they were forced to play Fowler’s game back on him.  Giving his approval, Hughes backed the play.

Arriving on the scene, he moved to stand next to Peter in an act of support.  He was publicly tying himself to the agent, but he had done it every time before.

Playing his part after the judge was hauled away in cuffs, Hughes stepped forward to shake Fowler’s hand.  “This is a big win, Garrett.  Great work.” 

Sounding almost sarcastic, Peter managed to perform his role too.  “Yeah.  Great work.”

With the case wrapping up and his dirty judge out of his pocket, Fowler didn’t stick around for long.  His last words to Peter were indication of a return, but they didn’t know when or how he would pop back up the next time.

*******

Amused to discover that Neal was hosting Peter, Hughes wished he could have a fly on the wall to watch how that played out.  The two men would get in each other’s way at every turn.  Hopefully they wouldn’t end up fighting too badly as a result.  They were his best partnership in the field, not to mention growing friends.

Leaving the younger men to the field work, he got more involved when the Japanese Embassy sent their representative Daichi Yoshida.  They discussed the case and what was expected before he led the ambassador and his entourage to the conference room.

Introducing him, he was vaguely surprised when Neal responded in Japanese in the formal manner appropriate to the circumstances.  Perhaps it was a part of his government training or something to do with his working history?  Collecting information about the man was as much of a hobby for him as it was for Peter, but looking for a different outcome.  Peter was trying to keep ahead of the criminal, while Hughes was trying to discover the secret behind the criminal façade.

Joining the conversation, Hughes introduced what was expected of the FBI.  “The Japanese government has filed a claim stating the statues were stolen from them and illegally imported to the U.S.  We're cooperating in the efforts to restitute them to their proper ownership.”

Directing the delegates back to his office, he took a moment for an aside conversation with Peter while the rest of the team got the message too.  “It's very important that we recover the missing pieces of the set here.  We don't want an international incident on our hands.”

Although he threw a glance at Neal, he wasn’t actually as worried about the man as he pretended to be.  Then leaving them to their work, he had his own tasks to focus on.

Things seemed to smooth over as the team worked, but Hughes couldn’t help the gut feeling of his own.  The situation was not going to end well if that sneaking feeling didn’t go away.

The alert that Neal had cut his anklet was the first indicator of what the cause was.  Where it would spiral to from there was the next question though.  Was Neal doing something government authorized, was he an asset for another agency and taking the out to get away from the government, or was he in trouble acting under duress?  Pierce had already killed one man through the course of the case.

“Pull every alias Caffrey has.  Hit the airports and the waterways.  We can’t let him escape with the jade or the Japanese are gonna be very, very upset.”  He played his role.  Whatever Neal was in relation to the government, he couldn’t take any risks on this one.  It had too big a reach.

“I don’t think they ran together.”  Peter argued.  “Neal knows better by now.”

Honestly, he didn’t believe it either, but it was still a base that had to be covered if everything was going to play out like it was supposed to.

Running through the obvious arrangement, Hughes let Peter come to whatever conclusions his instinct said, but he wasn’t going to show his cards just yet.

Relieved when Peter proved correct, Hughes wasn’t as upset to hear that the case couldn’t have been solved without the kid.  It seemed the longer he was around, the more he proved irreplaceable.

That brought up another question though, why was he in their office if he was so valuable to government work?

*******

It was a ridiculous plan in his opinion, but Neal and Peter were certain it was necessary.  Too bad the auction house wasn’t allowing any more entries.  Maybe they would come up with something better with their first plan taken off the table?

Knocking on Peter’s door, he opened it and stepped in.

“This can’t be good.”  Was Peter’s comment as he looked up.

“Why does everyone say that when I walk into their office?”  He knew the reason, but wondered if he really had so much bad news to deliver in order to earn the reputation.

“So you have good news?” 

“No.”  Peter pursed his lips in response.  He wasn’t surprised.  “I contacted the auction house.  They’re closed to new entries.”

“Closed.”  He stumbled over that.  “We can’t submit our bottle?”

“Sorry, Peter.”  Venting some of his frustrations, he added.  “Now quit the fool’s errands and catch this guy.”

Walking away to the tune of Peter slapping his file closed, Hughes knew it wasn’t entirely his fault.  Keller had been evading government capture acrossed the globe for years.  The main reason for his frustration was the continuous trend of walls he kept hitting in his own investigation.  Who was keeping Caffrey’s secret?  Where ever they were in government, they had a powerful reach.

*******

Getting an early meeting from agent Kimberly Rice, Hughes wasn’t thrilled when the rising star asked to borrow one of his team.  Rumor had it she was quick and dirty in some of her undercover operations, something that could prove dangerous in the wrong circumstances.

Learning that she wanted Neal was something of a relief.  The man seemed to have ties to the black ops world which would indicate extensive training beyond what most of the other team members had.

Sending Peter to retrieve his CI, he was surprised when Peter was forced to wait by the elevator for the kid.  Neal was running late, which wasn’t normal for the punctual man.

When Neal did finally arrive, Peter brought him up and the introductions were made.  Introducing the case, Rice explained how Lindsay Gless had been abducted with the prime suspect being an old associate of Neal’s named Ryan Wilkes.

Coming to Neal’s defense, Peter worried about the operation.  “If Wilkes is behind this, isn't it dangerous to put Caffrey on his trail?”

“Caffrey's proven he can take care of himself.”  He was very capable in order to remain alive based on what rumors he was hearing for his possible government identification.  If Neal was who he was beginning to suspect he was, then he could handle Wilkes perfectly fine.  “Neal, starting immediately, you report to Agent Rice.”

Moving their meeting along, Rice questioned Neal.  “When's the last time you saw Wilkes?”

His answer was a concern.  “Probably when he tried to kill me.”

Based on the way Peter stiffened, he hadn’t known that, but it wasn’t the first time Neal faced old enemies with grudges serious enough to be threatening.  The question was why this particular one was so mad, but more importantly, would it endanger the case and the girl’s life?

Sending Neal on his way, Hughes directed Peter to get back to his own work. 

It was another one of those cases where things were primed to spin out of control, so he worked all of his resources in an effort to find who Neal really was.  His life could be in danger, and knowing what he was capable of would make it easier to work with him.

Hearing a commotion erupting in the office below, he moved to stand beside the ranking agents.  “What's going on here?”

Peter explained what he had learned.  “She made a backroom deal with Wilkes.  The girl in exchange for Neal.”

Surprised, Hughes almost didn’t believe she had made such a stupid play.  Agents should never put their civilian counter parts out to dry if they wanted their trust.  It also stung because she was using Neal, a member of his team to do it.  “Rice, that true?”

“A man we believe to be Wilkes contacted Gless.  He said he would give Lindsay back if he could have a face-to-face with Caffrey.”  She defended herself. 

Questioning the validity of her decision, Peter and Hughes both had questions for her.

“Wilkes made the grab in our one operational blind spot.”  She wasn’t even sorry for putting their consultant in danger.

Rubbing his hand over his face, he couldn’t believe this could turn out so badly.  If anything happened to Neal…  “You’re no longer in charge.  Peter’s a part of the show.”  Using his hands to forestall any arguments, he wasn’t hearing it form the agent.  “I don’t wanna hear it, Rice. You report to Burke until you find Caffrey and that girl.”  He ordered with finality.  Peter was the best at finding Neal, and two lives depended on this playing out well.

Leaving the situation in Peter’s capable hands, he returned to his office. 

Taking his seat and placing a call, he informed one of his contacts that Neal was in trouble.  Hopefully it would bring backup in the shadows.  Bringing allies from Neal’s own field could increase his odds of survival.

Unfortunately, no one stepped forward to claim him, and there wasn’t any indication of help coming forward.  Although it wasn’t helpful on their case, it was informative to his investigation.  Neal was someone very high up, not an average agent by any means, and the lack of assistance meant no one was worried about him from his own field.  All things that matched his suspicion, he just needed to confirm his discovery before figuring out what to do about it.

*******

Talking to Peter after the plane blew up killing Kate, he was interested to learn that Neal had been hurt by Peter’s approach.  The agent had gotten under his skin and was someone he truly considered a friend.  In competition with Kate, the situation pulled him in two impossible directions.

Based on his research, it wasn’t something just any agent could do.  Neal preferred to keep his friends few and extremely well trusted.

“That is a compliment about you, Peter.  Neal sees what I see in you.”  He offered his protégé.

Looking hopeful, Peter questioned.  “Are you sure about that?”

“He works with you in a way he doesn’t with anyone else.  When he feels threatened, he puts his back to you.  I don’t even have to watch him in the field to know that.” 

With a thoughtful expression, Peter got up and returned to his office.  His posture and expression indicated that he was seeing Neal with tears streaming down his face as they talked, listening to the horrified shouts as the man fought him on the tarmac, and recalling the many proofs of where he showed his trust.

They were the best partnership he had ever seen, and Hughes was willing to support them.

*******

Continuing to watch his team, Hughes had more reason to appreciate Neal’s presence as the young man helped to save Peter’s life when his undercover role went wrong, but he also had reason to worry about his reaction to catching Fowler.  If he was one for running off with a gun, then he bode watching for other reasons than just what trouble he attracted.

*******

Climbing to the next level of the case, Peter and Neal drew the attention of someone even more dangerous, Julian Larssen.  The man had a background in Special Forces and was running around as a gun for hire.  Although he was for hire, he was funded by a powerful person with deep pockets and a drive for something to do with Neal, and targeting Neal drug Peter into the game.

Pursuing regardless of the threat, Peter and Neal placed themselves directly in the line of fire.

First, it was Neal’s report about being stalked through the streets at night before facing the man in an alley. 

Learning of his request to be trained in fighting, Hughes wondered if Neal was looking for a cover to reveal his skills.  Maybe he wasn’t enjoying playing the non violent con while such dangerous people targeted him?

Then what made it look more worrisome was when Peter was targeted in an effort to tank his career.

Pulling Peter from his interrogation of Larssen, Hughes had bad news to share.  “Burke, a moment?”

“Did we get the ballistics?”  Peter was curious and hopeful. 

“The inside of the barrel was filed down.  We couldn’t make a match.”  He stood with his arms crossed defensively.  It wasn’t a pleasant situation.

“He’s hiding his trail.”  Peter glanced over toward the prisoner.  “What about prints?”

Stepping out of the office behind them, Agent Roe took that question.  “The outside of the gun was wiped down.”

Acknowledging the man’s presence, Peter questioned both senior agents.  “What’s the Department of Justice doing here?”

“Forensics found a single print inside the weapon.”  Hughes specified the location of the print in a way that Peter understood bad news was to follow.

“It was yours, Agent Burke.”  Agent Roe delivered the blow.

Floundering, Peter was taken completely off guard.  “That’s impossible.”

Sharing the information they had found, Agent Roe explained why Peter was a suspect.  “The print was found inside the slide.  The only way it could’ve gotten there was if you assembled the gun.”

“This is absurd.”  Peter turned to Hughes before focusing back on Roe as he continued to deliver the bad news.

“Agent Burke, you’re hereby on leave until this investigation is completed.”

Stepping in front of Peter with his hands spread complacently, Hughes asked him to hand over his gun and badge as a part of his suspension.

Questioning his case, Peter didn’t want to let Larssen go, but he had no choice.

Scanning acrossed the room, Peter’s eyes settled on Neal and held his glance for a moment. 

Following his gaze, Hughes watched as Neal uncrossed his arms in disbelief.  He didn’t see this line of attack coming either based on his response.

Focusing back on Peter, he accepted the gun and badge from his agent before passing them to the DOJ agent beside him.

While another agent released Larseen, Neal approached the conversation.  “Hughes, you can’t let him walk out of here.”

“Stay out of it, Caffrey.”  Regardless of who the kid likely was, the justice system didn’t bend to his will, so Hughes dismissed him.

After Larssen walked away, Agent Roe finished the conversation.  “Agent Burke, you have to leave the building as well.” 

Before following the other agent away, Hughes shared a final glance with his protégé.  It was an expression of support, a promise to get to the bottom of the situation.

As he walked away, he heard Peter answer Neal and Diana.  “Larssen destroyed me.”

Not if I have anything to do about it, and I’m sure the rest of the team feels just as strongly as I do.  Hughes thought to himself as he closed the door to his office.

Work was painful as Roe pulled every case file and sifted through every record Peter had been connected to.

Leaving the man to his work, Hughes continued to pursue his own target.  Something about finding the truth in regards to Neal felt like it would make everything better.  Why, he had no idea, but he couldn’t help the feeling.

Receiving the notice for another meeting with his source, Hughes left the office with the notice that he was meeting a contact about another case he was working.  No one questioned him because he was the boss, so it was easy to slip away generally unnoticed.

Sliding into his seat at the diner with another cup of coffee, Hughes wasn’t surprised to see the big guy drinking a simple cup of black while enjoying a messy sandwich. 

“This place serves a good meal.”  The man commented as he dug into his lunch.

“Is there a reason you called this meeting?”  Hughes grumbled into his cup.

“Yes.”  Sliding a newspaper acrossed the table, the man mimicked their previous meeting.

Setting his cup aside, Hughes flipped the paper open to the same section as before.  There was a file contained inside, so he peeked at a picture in the front.  It was Neal.  Glancing up at the person acrossed the table, he was surprised that he was finally getting the information.  “Someone is actually acknowledging him?”

“You’ve been poking around looking for him, and in light of many things that are happening the bosses think his operations will run smoother if you know who he is.” 

Nodding his head, Hughes knew it wasn’t an unusual reaction by persons in government.  “Do I get to know what these operations are?”  Multiple assignments at once seemed unusual, so that was further evidence that whoever was in the file was a very skilled person.

“Depends on how things proceed.  The bosses will determine what you need to know and when.”  His inquiry was dismissed.

Choosing another question, he probed into the character of his team mate.  “Is he a loose cannon, or a risk to my team?”

Snorting, the man was amused.  “His reputation indicates that he is generally a straight laced agent, but he sometimes chooses to find his own way.  Especially when he is dealing with traitors and can’t trust the usual routes, or if he is protecting a friend from something he sees as unjust that can’t be fought through the typical methods.  You didn’t hear this from me, but he is a legend in the field and one of the most trusted in Washington.  It says a lot about you and this Agent Burke that the he is willing to work with you and the bosses are willing to let you know who he is.”

Sipping his coffee thoughtfully, Hughes had suspected as much based on observations, and his research had indicated the truth of the matter, but it was still another thing to have it all officially confirmed.  Neal was actually an undercover agent, and although he was capable of being unruly, he was generally a legend for getting the job done within the rules.

“His primary assignment at present is causing the current problems for your team.  He is pursuing a wanted man by all agencies.  The FBI is pursuing him for a billion dollar Ponzi scheme, but the CIA and NSA are interested for his connections to Nazi’s, primarily those hiding in Argentina.”

“Vincent Adler?”  Hughes questioned.  The man was a huge target, but how did it all connect?

“Agent Moreau was pursuing the target until her death, but the threats of Agent Fowler caused the bosses to send Larkin back in for support.  His job was to pursue the threat and rescue her, but when he failed, his objective was changed to completing her mission.  There are other reasons for his presence in your team, but the Adler case is only the reason you are being informed of at this time.”  The agent said as he finished his sandwich.

Leaving the paper with Hughes, he dropped some bills on the table to cover his meal and tip.  “If he should die at any point, don’t take it seriously until you have a body that stays dead.  Even then, I recommend questioning it.”  He cryptically said before leaving.

Understanding it as a reference to Larkin’s previous deaths, Hughes was still worried about the connotation of the words.  Finishing his cup of coffee, he slid out of the booth and mimicked the colonel by dropping some bills.  Taking the paper along with him, careful to keep the file hidden, he returned to the bureau. 

Opening the file in his office, he read through the information before locking it away in a secret hiding place.  It wasn’t an official FBI record and would stand out amongst his other files, so he preferred to stow it away where he could add to it, but keep it from the rest of the team.  He had been granted the knowledge, but it was best to keep that knowledge secret if he had any hope of being allowed access to anything else.  His work was finally successful.  Now he could only watch and wait until there was anything he could do to help.

Returning his focus to the case against Peter, he was walking through the office with Agent Roe when Miss Sara Ellis entered the office and spoke to Jones.  As she marched up to them, Hughes wondered what Peter and Neal had been up to while he was doing his own research.

“Hi.  Sara Ellis.  I’m an insurance investigator with Sterling Bosch.”  She was confident and forward in her actions.

Calmly shaking her hand, Roe asked.  “What can I do for you, Miss Ellis?”

“Well, I just got a call from my client and he’s being harassed by Agent Peter Burke.  I’d like to file a complaint.”

“Burke?  You sure about this?”  It wasn’t like Peter to behave like she was indicating.  Hughes knew the agent well, so the accusation made him more curious about what the duo had been up to.

Standing strong, Sara didn’t back down when her word was questioned by the veteran agent.  “Burke’s there right now if you’d like to go see for yourself.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”  Roe agreed while pulling out his phone.  It was a prime opportunity to investigate his suspect in the field.

Both agents paused for a brief conversation with Jones as they passed him, but Hughes got more information out of his subordinate.

“Peter needs our help.”

He already knew that, so with a roll of his head he moved to follow the other agent.  Even though he didn’t know what his role was, he would do his best to perform it well.

Following along while they set up their approach, he used procedure to determine how to act.  Then when they blew through the doors, he raised his gun and followed the others in. 

It wasn’t surprising to see Larssen standing with his hands in the air while someone stood beside him and the crates.  What was interesting was the presence of something on the tips of his fingers.  “Jones, check his hands.”

“Latex fingerprints.”  Jones seemed to know what to expect, but checking his hands was confirmation.

“I'll bet they match Burke's.”  Hughes suddenly understood what his role was.  He was supposed to play support to Agent Roe and clear Peter’s name.

Hearing Roe’s order “Let's get the fingerprints into evidence.” He knew they had taken the necessary steps to complete the case.  Peter would be back in the office soon.

Getting permission for Roe to reinstate Peter, Hughes left the scene and began the process of returning his agent to the field. 

When Peter entered the office within the hour, he was happy to return his badge and side arm.  “Welcome back, Peter.”

Running his finger over the badge, Peter seemed to be thinking about something.

“What’s on your mind?”  He inquired.

“Oh, just something that Sara Ellis said about Neal.”  Peter moved slowly to put his gun away, but he was still holding his badge gingerly.  “She called Neal junior.  It crossed my mind that he is learning to see things through the eyes of justice… he was willing to do things my way through this.”

Knowing it entailed more than that, Hughes understood it was an indication of Neal’s trust in the agent.  He was willing to follow his route because he trusted him to not lead him in a bad direction.  “Neal trusts you.”

Lifting his eyes hopefully, Peter was looking for confirmation of what he wanted to see.

Patting him on the shoulder, Hughes didn’t have to say it again.  He had already confirmed it for the younger agent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, commenting/reviewing, leaving kudos, following/bookmarking, and choosing to favorite :D


	3. Chapter Three

*******

A seemingly innocent conversation with Peter revealed the likely reason for Neal being present in their team under the guise of being a criminal.

“I learned the first detail about Neal’s childhood in all my years of researching him.”  Turning to face him, Peter said the idea of what he knew.  “His father was a dirty cop, and he feels the behavior is in his blood, that he is tainted to be a criminal by his father’s actions.”

It wasn’t much, but if Neal was pretending to take after his father to investigate his family history, it would explain a reason for his chosen cover.  Not only would it be good for infiltrating the criminal realm, but it could draw out targeted people too.  Maybe the choice in name also played a role, but Hughes didn’t expect to learn about that.  Should Peter learn, he would only divulge such a detail if it was necessary.

*******

Introducing their next case, Hughes stood at the head of the conference room table.  “As you're aware, Matthew Keller pled down to manslaughter after you two brought him in for murder.”

Interrupted for a moment, he allowed the others to fill each other in on Keller’s sentencing.

Taking the lead again, he continued.  “Yesterday, he contacted the Department of Justice.  He says he has information critical to national security.”

Neal summarized Keller’s motivation.  “His sentencing didn't go well, now he wants a deal.”

“Probably.”  He agreed with the kid, but he still had a role to keep.  The agents knew he wasn’t fond of Neal’s criminal tendencies, and he had been assured Neal didn’t know he was aware of his real identity.  “But we do that sometimes, Caffrey.  We make deals with con men.”

The kid smiled and turned to Peter.  He knew he wasn’t actually a criminal, but he also had a role to play.

“What did Homeland Security say?”  Peter was also smiling, he knew there was a catch.

“Keller wouldn't talk to them.  He insisted he would only talk to you.” It was a potentially worrisome situation if Keller had any kind of revenge in mind, but Peter and Neal were good at taking care of each other.

“Neal's right.  I seriously doubt he has any real information.”

“There's no harm checking it out.  Go talk to him.”  Those were words he later regretted, because it turned out that there could be harm from checking it out.  If not the initial something, then the other something it led to… Something he learned when Neal reported Peter’s abduction.

Standing as the leader of the team, Hughes held his ground on the landing and directed the agents in their assignments.  When he got to Neal, as much as a part of him wanted to reveal his secret and put him to work with all of his resources, he knew the man could work his magic better outside of the office where he didn’t have to keep his secret.  Combined with his continued effort to keep up appearances and it wasn’t hard to say “Listen, Caffrey.  Let us do our job.  We'll bring Peter home safely.”

Keeping Diana aside for a brief conversation, he dismissed her when he noticed Elizabeth entering the office.  She clearly knew her husband was in danger, and although she held it together on the surface, she was emotionally distraught. 

Despite his trust in the agent he knew Neal to be, it still went against his better judgment to leave the two alone.  Elizabeth was going to ask Neal to do something, and because a friend’s life hung in the balance, Neal was most definitely going to do it.  In fact, he was probably already in the process of doing it for that matter, even before Elizabeth asked.

As expected, things didn’t go as planned with Neal’s efforts to fix the problem, and he only made the situation worse because Keller managed to escape.  Aware that Neal was doing the best he could with the circumstances, Hughes still couldn’t help but let him take some of the brunt of his anger.  Larkin was reputed to be a legendary agent, capable of handling extremely delicate situations, and here he messed up a simple hostage situation?  It probably wasn’t his fault, but he was a handy vent for his pent up frustrations.

Telling Diana off for not following orders, he would need to come up with disciplinary actions, but that could wait until later when Peter was safely back in the office.  None of them were finished yet.

“Do your job, get him out of here.”  He dismissed both of them from his office.

The part of the case that was the most interesting was when they got Peter on the phone.  It was amazing to watch the smooth partnership and easy operation as the two combined their minds to solve the problem of breaking Peter out of the jail cell. 

Assisting with the efforts to build the replica, Hughes did his part and then stood back to watch.

When Peter hung up, Hughes joined the rest of the agents in the silent stare at the phone.  They were all willing it to ring with the indication that Peter was alright.

Answering the phone as soon as it rang, Neal was desperate.  “Peter?”

“I’m out.”

The room broke apart with relieved responses.  Each agent was moving for their gear to rescue their boss.

“Hang tight, Peter.  We're on our way.”  Hughes ordered. 

While Peter summarized his situation, Hughes reached out and squeezed Neal’s shoulder before patting him lightly.  The young man looked up in slight surprise before turning away in relief.  Hughes wanted to show his gratitude for the young agent’s work.  Their friend was safe and alive because of him.

With Peter safely returned, the team could settle back to their working routine.

*******

Nothing stays the same and life isn’t easy, two sayings that were proven true through the following months.

Watching from his vantage point in the office, Hughes observed Peter and Neal grow closer as friends and brothers in arms.  Then he also had a bird’s eye view as the case against Vincent Adler exploded, literally, into the treasure case.

Apparently, Neal had a troublesome asset of his own who chose to steal a priceless treasure.  Although the situation made it look like Peter was the one with the rogue partner, it was actually Neal.

As the situations escalated, Hughes could only watch from the side lines.  He knew Neal was actually the Agent Bryce Larkin, but he couldn’t broadcast that to Peter without blowing the kid’s cover or endangering all of their careers.

Instead, he was forced to do his job and pretend he didn’t know anything more than he appeared to.

When Neal’s commutation hearing was announced, he couldn’t help but wonder if Agent Bryce Larkin was getting ready to move on to his next assignment.

*******

Then Neal ran, and he wasn’t surprised when Peter felt guilty enough to search for him off the books.  The men had become good friends, and he suspected that Peter had signaled Neal to run.

Seeing Peter move through his work routine on auto pilot, he really hoped Neal had a plan to rectify the situation.  In the meanwhile, he meant his warning and advice. 

‘Kramer thinks you know more than you’re saying.’  It was true.  The agent was digging into everything related to Peter in the hopes of finding something to capture the elusive con with.  If anyone could find Neal, it would be Peter, and if Neal was going to leave a clue with anyone other than Mozzie, then it would also be Peter.

‘Until the dust settles, keep your head down, close some cases, and forget about Neal Caffrey.’  Maybe his work was completed since the situation in relation to Kate was finished?  But then what about his other operations?  Until Neal returned, then it was best to believe he might be gone for good.

Knowing the Office of International Affairs was coming, he watched as Agent Collins poked around Neal’s desk before facing off with Peter on his way up.  Giving Peter the double finger point, he invited him on up to join the meeting where he introduced him to their guest.

Asking the obvious question, Peter wondered why the other office was visiting.

“Neal Caffrey.” 

Exchanging a familiar glance with Peter, they both knew it was the obvious answer.  Everyone visiting the department of late had been asking questions in relation to the missing CI.

Reminding them how unsuccessful the FBI was at finding the elusive man, Collins reviewed the situation.  “It's been six weeks, and the bureau hasn't turned up one lead on its poster boy for reform, which is why Caffrey needs to be captured and locked away for a long, long time.”

Not pleased to be reminded of the potential outcome for Larkin’s character, he joined the conversation.  “As you're aware, we've got agents flipping over every mattress Caffrey's ever slept on.”

“But those other agents aren't Peter Burke.”

Smirking into a soft laugh, Peter wasn’t impressed.  “I've given my statements.  Everything I know about Neal is in the file.”

“Everything that's official, maybe.  But Agent Kramer seems to think that you may have left out the good stuff.”  Collins was skeptical.

Peter’s posture gained additional tension.  He no longer respected his former mentor like he had before the whole situation with Neal and the treasure.

Coming to his agent’s defense, he didn’t like what was being insinuated.  “Agent Collins, if Burke says it's all there, it's all there.”  Besides, even if he was hiding things, it was nothing in comparison to what he was withholding.

Reading information from the Neal Caffrey file, Collins shared just some of the information on the man.  “Neal Caffrey has 27 known aliases, speaks eight languages, including conversational Swahili.  He'd avoid countries with extradition.  That's helpful.  He has a weakness for beautiful women…”  The agent paused to laugh “and I love this bit of insight.  He runs.”

"Hmm.  Yes, he does.”  No one knew that better than Peter.  Trying to get away, Peter asked to go.

“No.  Agent Burke, I'm gonna find Neal Caffrey.  And you're gonna help me do it.”  Collins pulled an intimidation move by getting in Peter’s face.

Breaking the situation up, Hughes sent them off to do their work.  “Collins.”  The man turned and stepped away from Peter.  “Peter, show him around the office and get him set up.  Then I need you to return to your work.  We have other cases besides pursuing Caffrey.”

Following orders, the agents left the office and went to work.

Continuing his efforts through his own sources, Hughes was trying to figure out what was expected.  Was Kramer’s effort to steal Neal something that Washington was attempting to avoid without blowing his cover?  Could they expect things to work out in a manner that the agent would return to their office?  He had several questions and still hadn’t been granted any answers.

Having heard the comments before, he wasn’t surprised when Peter told Collins that he wasn’t going to find the man through Neal Caffrey.  ‘He disappears through reinvention.  The man you're looking for isn't the one who sat at that desk.’

Being a trained agent with a government background, he was even more capable of recreating himself, because Peter wasn’t talking about what he could do with official assistance.

Racing each other to be the first person to find Neal, Peter had the advantage by being Neal’s friend and having an emotional connection to the man.

Unfortunately, Collins wasn’t an idiot and knew Peter would likely be the first to find the con.  Pulling a genius move, he waited until Peter had the location before executing a warrant on the agent’s home to steal his information.

This of course brought an infuriated Peter into his office.

“He had every right.  You were withholding information on Caffrey's whereabouts.”  He tried to calm Peter down.  It was rude to execute a warrant on another agent, but there was enough reason for it to be legal despite Peter’s or his opinion.

Their banter had a light air to it, but they were discussing the potential fate of a man they both respected.  “Then how do you think he’s gonna bring Neal back?”  They had different information to go off of, but they both knew it could turn into a fight on an island halfway around the globe. 

“Pending review of the situation, I've been instructed to put you on leave.”  With Peter’s complete attention, he decided to lay the decision at the younger agent’s feet.  He wanted to help Neal, but couldn’t.  If Peter wanted to, he would have the best odds, but he would be risking a great deal.  “Do yourself a favor.  Use this time to get some perspective.  Think about what's important.”  Using his pen to emphasize his words, he tried to convey an underlying message.  One he knew the agent would understand, even if he didn’t get the full connotation.  “If you decide it's Caffrey I understand, but I can't protect you.  Do you understand?”

With a slight smile, Peter got the message loud and clear.  Neal was important, they needed him, and although he couldn’t condone if officially, he backed the decision he knew was going to be made. “Completely.”  Then Peter turned and was quickly out of his office.   The sooner he was on his way, the sooner he could bring their team mate home.

*******

Waiting seemed to be the game where Neal was concerned.  Even knowing who the man was, he still spent a lot of time watching from the side lines and waiting to see what happened while Peter and Neal had all of the fun out in the field.

Getting a phone call brought some action and something to do, so he waved Jones and Diana up to join him for the conversation.

“I'm telling you, it's Robert MacLeish.”

“Oh, come on, Peter.  You spot a few boat names and you expect me to believe…”  It was Peter and Neal.  If anyone could find such an elusive criminal it would be them, but it was still hard to believe.  This case had been running longer than either of them had been agents.

Peter understood that, and Neal probably did too.  “I know it sounds crazy.”

Agreeing with them, he still couldn’t wrap his mind around the prospect of what they were telling him.  “MacLeish has been at the top of the most wanted for 20 years, and in all that time, no one's seen him.”

They talked back and forth and he looked at Neal’s sketch.  As much as he wanted to believe them, a part of him found it more likely that they were searching for a fix too hard.  “Listen to yourself.  You're not this man, Peter.  You're grasping at straws, and you know it.”

“He's here, Reese.”  It was easy to imagine his agent poking his finger on the table in certainty.  His tone carried his conviction where his body language couldn’t be seen.

“Yeah, well, you're gonna have to give me more to go on than a few women's names.”  He was torn.  They were the best, but were they that good?  If he was this hard to convince, then the Justice Department would take a great deal more.

Working through some details, Peter then presented his motivation.  “If it's him, what is he worth to the Bureau?”  The agents back in the office were surprised he was giving complete credit to his CI.  Most agents would take the credit and then try to pull the sway of government to their will.  “If Caffrey catches him and delivers him to you, would justice agree to let him return to New York and reinstate his old deal?”

“Back on his anklet, working cases?”  They were working to bring Neal back, so the kid still had work to be done.

“Yes.”  That was going to be tough enough.  “Working for me.”  Assuming Peter wasn’t in too much trouble for going off of the reservation.

Taking a few moments to react, he thought he could get Neal’s people to help him out.  If enough agencies were for it, they could probably make something work from such a successful bust.  “First, prove it's MacLeish.  If it's him, I'll run it by justice, but no promises.”

“Yes! Thanks, Reese.”  They ended their conversation.

They didn’t have to wait long before the pictures were uploaded for them to test.  While Jones went to work on it, he went back to his office.

Popping his head in the door, Jones called him back to the conference room to reveal the results of the research.

Settling into a chair, he waited with Diana for the update.

“It’s him.  They found MacLeish.”  Jones was impressed.  “The techs ran the biometrics twice just to be sure.”

With the research confirmed, he picked the phone up and dialed Peter.  Leaving their end on speaker, he appreciated only speaking to Peter.

“You’re right, it’s him.  I’m going to pass it on up and I think I have some contacts that might be able to help push the request into reality based on the situation.”  Hughes said.

Their conversation wasn’t long and soon Peter was likely conveying the good news to the men with him.

Leaving their team to celebrate, Hughes went back to his office to begin his work.  He had his promise to pass the request on to the Justice Department to fulfill, but he also wanted to ask for help from Neal’s people.

Placing the call, he reached out to his contact and made plans for another meeting.

Jones and Diana both threw glances at him in the hope his meeting would be successful.  They didn’t know who his contact was, but they knew he still kept his old connections for situations such as this.

Sliding into his seat at a different coffee shop, both men got basic drinks as they weren’t intending to stay long.

“Your agent come up with a way to bring him home?”  The colonel questioned.

“Yes.  They found Rob MacLeish and are looking to arrange for Neal to bring him into custody in exchange for his old deal.”  He slid the copies of their finding acrossed the table.

Flipping the folder open, the man reviewed the information.  “It looks like you have a good start.  Why are we meeting?”

“We need the Justice Department to agree to the deal.  His character is too much of a flight risk, so it isn’t likely to be accepted.  But, if a few other agencies should happen to back the request, we might have better odds.  Then we can all get back to our work without needing to reveal what your agent has been doing in my agency.”  He put a little bit of an intimidation twist to his words.  They were more likely to find motivation.

Frowning at him with a growl, the colonel didn’t like what he was saying.

Holding his hand up slighting to indicate that he wasn’t threatening, he continued.  “We both know questions will come up if things aren’t played out carefully.  I’m just offering a way to avoid that for all of us.”

Grunting in agreement, the other agent had to agree.  “I’ll pass this to my boss.  She’ll have the most power to work something out.”  Then with a tip of his drink like a salute, he slid out with the folder and headed on his way.

Sliding out of his own seat, Hughes started walking back towards the Federal Plaza.  Finishing his drink on the way, he made sure to dispose of the cup before returning to the office.

“Are they going to help?”  Jones asked with Diana close behind him.

“My contact is passing it on up.  We should have a lot of help getting this to pass.”  He gave them hope without sharing too many details.

Looking relieved, the two agents returned to their work leaving him to enter his office and begin processing the paperwork.

Pushing everything through as quickly as possible, they were able to convince the Justice Department to take the deal to reinstate Neal’s old agreement.  Faxing the paperwork to Peter’s hotel, the agent would be able to compile a folder to present to Agent Collins and the waiting welcome committee when they landed back in the city.

Within only a few days, Neal was back in his desk and the team was having a mini celebration to welcome him back with the reward of his anklet.

Smirking, he knew Neal got a commendation in his file and some good marks for evading the FBI and catching one of the Nation’s most wanted at the same time.  He was just irked to be back to playing a con and the way many agents looked at him as a criminal instead of the agent he truly was.

As much as things seemed to be returning to normal, there was still the issue of Peter’s reprimand, which turned into a disciplinary action.

Calling Peter into his office once the decision had been made, he had the regretful duty of delivering the bad news. 

Starting the conversation with the basic details of why the action was being taken, he then dropped the hammer when Peter promised it wouldn’t be a problem.  “Afraid we're past that, Peter.”

Observing from above, he watched Peter approach his closest team members and friends.

Turning to Peter, Neal asked if everything was alright.

“No.  I've been reassigned.”  At their disbelieving expressions, Peter told them what was coming.  “It means I'm no longer working White Collar.”

*******

What followed for him was a battle of interagency politics.  The brass didn’t want Peter anywhere near active cases until they had finished reviewing his file, some were looking for excuses to shut him out of the bureau all together, and he at least managed to arrange for Evidence.  Sure, it wasn’t the most glamorous, but it was active work and would allow him to remain in the bureau.

“Your new assignment.”  He passed the results to Peter.

“You're sending me to the Cave?”  Peter obviously wasn’t thrilled.

“It's the evidence warehouse, and it's the best I could do.  Justice won't allow you to work active cases until they sort it out.” 

They talked about Peter’s typical responsibilities and how his team would be taken care of in his absence.  Promising that it would all be taken care of, he tried to sooth is agent’s concerns.

As Peter shifted to leave, he threw in the warning.  “Look, another thing -- Some of the top brass may be looking for an excuse to shut you out.  Don't give them one.  Everybody wants you back here as soon as possible.”  Watching Peter duck his head, he knew the agent wasn’t thrilled, but he was also relieved that his team was standing behind him.  “So, you know, work the Cave.  Keep your head down.  Got it?”

“I got it.  Evidence.  How bad can it be?”  The younger man tried to find optimism.

Exchanging shrugs, they were both hopeful.  Neither had been in the FBI doghouse before, so it would be a learning experience.

From what he heard through Peter and the team, it wasn’t a pleasant place to be.  Still, Peter seemed to be making it work by coaching his team on his old case and offering advice for his consultant.  Although Neal probably didn’t need it, it provided a means of keeping Peter in the loop of what the team was up to as well as a bonding experience for their friendship as they worked together to catch an experienced criminal with decades of unsolved crimes.

*******            

It was strange not having his favorite agent around the office.  Peter lent a presence to the place with his personality and enthusiasm. 

Glancing up from his work, he was surprised to see Peter standing in the middle of the room looking longingly up at his office.  “Burke, what are you doing here?”  The man could get into a great deal of trouble for being anywhere near an active case.

“Just gave Diana my statement.” 

“The Covington widow.”  Oh no, not a case he had been heavily involved in.  It would be next to impossible to keep Peter away.  He would insist on taking part through some means or another and that was a risk to his entire career.

While Peter started into basic kidnapping procedure and endorsing himself as the perfect agent to handle the job, Hughes threw an arm acrossed his shoulders to guide him towards the doors.  Talking over Peter, he tried to get his agent to quiet down and sent Neal on his way.  “Okay, all right.  Caffrey, give us a minute, please.”

Walking out of the office and away from immediate hearing of their team, he stopped in front of the elevator.  “Peter, Justice is still reviewing your case.  Covington is an active investigation.  You need to back off.”

Still pushing for his involvement, Peter had a good idea.  “I was lead on that investigation for a year.”  He had to agree to the known fact.  “I could consult outside my hours at the evidence warehouse.”

“No investigating, no field work.”  Those were the parts Peter loved best so he was definitely motivated to get the case closed.

“Tap me like a geyser.”  The man was eager.

“I’ll make a call as long as you keep it to that.”  Hughes promised as he moved back towards the office.

Turning around when he realized Peter had turned and was watching him with an anxious expression, his next words matched his expression.  “You said you were gonna make a call.”

“You want me to do it right now?”  It wasn’t normal for Peter to be so pushy.  Looking at him, he realized that at least a decent part of his motivation was pure boredom.  Peter was the type to collect evidence, not catalog it.

“I’d appreciate that.”  Peter bobbed his head nervously.

Pulling out his cell phone, he made the call and got the appropriate strings pulled.  It meant extra hours and busy lunch breaks, but Peter was determined.

Leaving his agents to their work, he returned to his office and managed his own duties.  It wasn’t as good as having both Peter and Neal leading the field operations, but Neal was a legendary agent in his own right and their team had proven themselves often.  There was nothing for him to worry about except the managerial duties that went with being the leader of the division.

The exceptions were when he had to sit in on meetings and fill in their gap of man power by manning the dreadful van.  As much as he would never admit it to Neal, the kid was right in saying the place smelled, was cramped, and tended to be the boring part of field work.

After they shared their plan, he approved of the steps taken and gave permission for the team to clear out.  “All right, gear up.  Head out.”

Standing up from his seat, he wasn’t surprised by Neal’s question.  “Where’s Peter?”

“Evidence.  Nothing left to consult on.”  He shared the bad news.  Based on Neal’s file with his agency, the kid had been betrayed a lot, so he liked to have a familiar and trusted agent watching his back in the field.  Peter might be his choice, but he would have to make due until the agent returned.  Hopefully that wouldn’t take long, but he suspected Neal had his people putting pressure to work things out in his favor.  If Neal had any say, Peter would return as soon as possible.

“He should be here.”  Neal’s comment was the general feeling of the entire office.

“Don’t worry, Caffrey.  I’ll be there to keep an eye on you.”  He shifted his head and shoulders to mask the shudder.  “Ever tell you how much I hate that van?”  Alright, so he admitted to hating it, but he wasn’t going to encourage Neal to go into detail by doing so himself.

Manning the radio like the boss he was, he barked at his team.  “Everyone in position.  Eyes on Mailer.  Call it in.”

There were some gentle grumblings from the main team, but no one was stupid enough to take it too far.

Rubbing his hand down his face, he wished he was back in the office.  He was still capable of doing the work, but this was a young man’s game and he was getting too old for some of this.  “Caffrey's en route.”

Things were fine for a short, but a ‘short’ was the key word.  They didn’t even make it to the event before Neal’s signal went out and things went wrong.  “Caffrey’s signal’s still not up.  Pull traffic cams for all routes from the Covington residence.”  Maybe one of the cameras would have caught what happened.

Leaning forward while another agent pulled up the requested data, he was verifying what he thought he saw.  Why was Peter showing up, he wasn’t supposed to be around?  Jumping up as the agent noisily entered the van, he questioned.  “Hey, Peter! What are you doing? You weren't authorized to...”

Then he heard what a lead agent never wants to hear in the field.  “Neal is in trouble.”

Trying to catch up with what his agent knew, he then heard more bad news.  “This op's gone off the rails.”

Running through the situation, he learned that Neal was facing a kidnapper and suspected murder alone, unarmed, and without a preplanned exit strategy.  It was time for him to use his training and silver tongue to give them a clue.  Fortunately, he had already passed them a message through the widow.

“Any idea where he is?”  Peter probably didn’t know, but it didn’t hurt to ask.

“No, but I think I know how to get him out of there.” And there were the words that made them such a good partnership. 

Returning to the office with Peter, they had to wait for the ladies to arrive.  When Mrs. Covington walked in, he was happy to let Peter lead with an “All yours.”

Peter’s ‘oh’ and body language indicated an ‘Oh yeah, now you let me lead.’ Kind of attitude.  Not that he would ever say it of course.

Turning to their guest and the victim of their case, Peter started into the uncomfortable subject.  “Sophie, Neal works for the FBI.”  Then he proceeded to update her on their efforts to infiltrate Neal into her circle to gain a better understanding of her and those around her.  The plan was to protect her, solve her husband’s death, and find the attempted kidnapper.

Mrs. Covington hadn’t expected the news, but as he continued, she seemed genuinely worried for Neal’s safety.

When Sara walked in, Peter decoded Neal’s message and shared the plan.  “We need to put the entire insurance settlement in Neal's bank account.  Twenty five million from each of you.”

“Sure you got that message right?” It was his job to question handing a con man fifty million dollars in his personal account.

“Yeah.  I know Neal.”  Peter carried a calm certainty as he nodded his head at him.

Laying the decision before the ladies, they moved the meeting to the conference room where the paperwork was piled acrossed the table.

To reiterate the plan, as well as question it for the sake of the situation, he said, “So, your plan is to put fifty million into the personal bank account of a con man who recently fled to a remote island with no extradition?”

Finishing how ludicrous the idea sounded, Peter added.  “So that he can transfer it to a financial genius who will have made every effort to make sure that we can't trace it.”  Patting the papers further into the folder he was holding before flipping it onto the table, he popped his answer.  “Yep.”

The final answer was up to the ladies on the other side of the room.  “It's your money, ladies.”It was they who determined whether or not Neal would get the insurance money.

Mrs. Covington easily agreed and put her money in with the reason “He saved my life.”

Oddly, it was Sara who didn’t seem so sure.

“Sara, in or out?”  Peter questioned her.  The FBI agents knew she had a romantic history with Neal that had gotten her singed, so she was a little nervous about such a big risk.  It could be her job if they lost the money.

“Okay.  I’m in, too.”  She leaned over the computer and keyed in the commands for the financial transfer.

With their end of the activity finished, it was the waiting game.  After a while, Peter and Sara were pacing in Peter’s office while Mrs. Covington had taken a seat in the conference room.

Hearing conversation and a change in tones, Hughes got up and walked over to the office.  Stepping in just in time to hear Neal inform Peter and Sara that their suspect was heading for the PIs office to destroy any potential evidence against him, he had to voice his concern.  If he sent Peter, it could not only be Peter’s job, but his own.  Staring at his agent, he wanted him to know what he was risking and asked if it was worth it.

“Yeah.”  Peter kept it short, but his tone indicated the knowledge that he was about to enter the field.

Double waving his fingers in a circle, he wordlessly gave his permission for Peter to go despite the risks.  Standing with Sara and listening from above, they could hear Peter calling for Jones and the team to follow him.  When they left the room, Peter was on the phone with the PI warning him of the imminent threat.

Returning to the conference room, he left Sara to regain her composure in Peter’s, sent Mrs. Covington home with the reassurance that Neal was alright, and went to his office.  Pulling his phone, he had some calls to make in order to ensure the bank transfer was traced to recover the money, and there was the paperwork for the arrest in progress to start.

A few days later, the story had hit the papers, the money had all been recovered, and the murderer was being convicted of his crimes when he had his meeting with Peter.  Sharing the good news about their recent case, it was the precursor to the sealed envelope he had waiting for his agent.

Nodding at Peter, he had a few personal things to say before reaching the purpose for their meeting.  “Handed you an inch, you sprinted to the finish line.  Caffrey did the same thing.”  Both men were skilled and determined agents who got their jobs done.  “The two of you… Careful, Peter.  I don't want you to wake up one day and not recognize yourself.”  Neal was a good influence in ways, but coming from a black ops background with the CIA, he was used to playing by different rules.  That difference could cause a lot of effects for Peter if he wasn’t cautious.

“They made a decision?”  The younger agent questioned sensing the reason behind his warning.

Passing the envelope acrossed the desk, Hughes nodded.  He didn’t need to read the verdict inside; he knew Peter was being reinstated to their department.  Neal wouldn’t have it any other way, and honestly, neither would he.

Dismissing the enthusiastic agent from his office, he knew Peter would need to settle his affairs for his return, and then after work, he would celebrate with the team.

Unfortunately, receiving a call that evening from his contact, he knew Ellen’s death would cast a long shadow.  With her murder, Neal’s core reason for being in their department was coming in to play.  The storm was blowing in, and he could only guess how much damage it would leave in its wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, reviewing/commenting, leaving kudos, and following :D


	4. Chapter Four

***********

Feeling the effects and watching the storm from his vantage point, there wasn’t much Hughes could do as he watched Neal feel betrayed by Peter and Peter working to regain his trust.  There were hints of dirty cops and a stink of corruption on the air.

What made the corruption so dangerous was that it went all the way up to Senator Pratt.  A powerful business man with deep pockets and a wide reach.  Peter’s plan to bring the man into their offices was a risky gambit, but perhaps it would prove worth it.

While the younger agents passed their off the books investigation to their counterparts, he was forced to play political babysitter to the senator.

Sitting with the man, Pratt made small talk and discussed basic politics as it was something they could both understand without the awkward talk of current cases and need to know.

Making the introductions and stepping back, Hughes didn’t play a role in the coming conversation, so he made his exit as soon as possible.  “It was an honor to meet you, senator.”  He shook the man’s hand and performed his role to perfection.  The game was an old one, and he had some experience at it despite appearances.

Since Neal followed him out and returned to his desk soon after, it was clear Peter had sent him away.  Neal wasn’t handling the confrontation too well.  Based on his file, the agent was capable of keeping his cool under high stakes situations, but he was protective where his friends were concerned.  Was he keeping his control and playing up his character, or was his behavior going to be an issue?  That was the question, and the answer could set the stage for the entire storm.  The two were waking a sleeping giant and they were going to need everything they had to get through.

Making an evening visit to the agent, he exchanged pleasantries with Elizabeth before being guided out back to sit on the patio.  It was a nice evening and the barriers the Burkes had set up for privacy would keep their conversation from any neighbors who might have an open window.  However, judging by the open window on Peter’s home, it wasn’t keeping their discussion from his wife.

Still, the conversation needed to be had, and Elizabeth needed to know something of the danger her husband faced.  Unfortunately, she didn’t get to know that he had a black ops body guard watching his back through it.

“Decades of cover-ups, organized crime, two murders? Now, this is much bigger than Caffrey and his father.”  He knew more than he was sharing, but this summarized the basics.

Thinking he was updating the boss, Peter shared the goal.  “Mm-hmm.  It's public corruption, Reese.  We need to take out Pratt.”

“He's got juice.”  That was an understatement, and they both knew it.  “You got a plan?”

“I want to start by putting taps on him while he's in New York.”

Giving it consideration, he knew they couldn’t broadcast what they were doing.  “This stays small.”

“You, me, and my team.”  Peter stated. 

Hughes couldn’t help but mentally add the select CIA and NSA agents who were acting in support of Neal and his contact who had been brought in as his messenger.

“You have a judge you can trust?”

“I'll handle it.”  The general and his contact would be of assistance again.  With the case escalating, it was time to put their cards on the table and play everything they had.  “You know, but Pratt's on the crime and terrorism subcommittee.  He'll figure it out.  You won't have much time.”  That was the problem.  Pratt had been laying his traps for thirty years, and he knew they were coming.  “Be careful, Peter.  He can hurt you.”  Hurt might be an understatement, but he wasn’t going to say that with Elizabeth in hearing range.

“I will.”  Peter promised.  He was playing it safe and trying to take any precautions he could.

Finishing their conversation, he told Peter goodnight and asked him to convey the same message to Elizabeth.  “I’ll let myself out.”  He indicated the back gate with his hand.

Peter nodded and let him go with a good night before returning inside to his wife.

Walking down the alley, he had some thinking to do.  By getting involved, he was also placing a target on his own back.  For more than a year he had remained quietly in the background letting Neal play the con artist while Peter took the front man role for their team, but with the heat coming down on them, he was ready to step forward and reveal some of his involvement.  It wasn’t like it would be a surprise to Pratt; the man knew the boss was always aware of what was going on around him if he was anything worth his position.  After all, the man had been Bennett’s captain on the force.  He might have played dumb when it came to the corruption of his division, but he had been aware of it, and involved too according to recent events.

Reaching his car, he needed to make contingency plans.  Should they get him fired, his team would need to land on their feet, and if he joined the body count, his wife and personal affairs would need to be arranged.

It would wait until morning after he had taken the necessary steps to begin the investigation off the books, but it couldn’t wait long.  They were risking too much already.

Unfortunately, it should have been Peter making his arrangements, as the attempt on his life proved.  It wasn’t twenty four hours before he landed in the hospital due to his breaks fluid being tampered with.

When he called to check in with Elizabeth, he heard how upset she was.  Based on her reaction when he mentioned Neal, she was probably directing her anger and fear at him.  If she requested anything of him, Neal would do it.  Sighing to himself, he hoped it wouldn’t be too damaging to their work.

“Tell me why Edwards would file change orders retroactively.”  Neal and Diana were standing in his office with falsified paperwork and a plan.

“He got nervous when Pratt paid him a visit and decided to cover his tracks in case anyone else checked up on him.”  Bouncing between each other, the two filled him in on the man’s schemes and how they were going to catch him.

“Edwards has a couple of high rises in Midtown under construction.  One stalled out.  He fired his architect.”  Diana revealed their in.

“He's looking for a new one.”  Something in the man’s tone indicated that Neal was going to be the perfect person to fill the spot.

“And I bet you always wanted to be an architect, right, Caffrey?”  It wasn’t a hard conclusion to come to.  Besides, the man had a background in computer engineering, which was at least a step in the right direction.

“I hook Edwards on a pillar of power and prestige, sell him on materials, and if we're right about his M. O., we get him for fraud.”  There was something of Peter’s enthusiasm for when he was about to take down the suspect.

“Then we have the leverage we need to flip him on Pratt.”  Diana finished.

Giving his permission for the operation, he had to warn Neal.  “And Caffrey, don't stand under any cranes.”  They didn’t need him incapacitated too.

“Yes, sir.”  Neal was sobered by the reminder that he was taking a risky cover operation.  Despite his history, he wasn’t stupid enough to let his guard down.

“So far, this investigation has put my best agent in the hospital.”  He lamented.  Peter was a good and reliable agent, and they needed him in the office, not the hospital or medical leave.  Besides, he was his friend and he didn’t want him hurt.

“We'll make sure it wasn't for nothing.”  Diana promised, and Hughes had no doubts that the team wouldn’t hold to it.

Working through the case, they proved themselves as always and delivered the contractor on fraud.

Sitting in the interrogation room, Hughes went to work on their suspect.  “You shuffled a lot of money around, Mr. Edwards.  We compared your company accounts to your own.  Found some discrepancies.”

“Probably an accounting mistake.”  The man tried to down play the crimes.

“No.  By subbing in lower-grade materials, you saved almost a hundred and fifty million.”  The pressure was building in an effort to break the man.

“I filed the change reports.” 

Not amused, Hughes continued to lay the evidence out acrossed the table in front of him.  The man was looking at a long sentence.  “But there’s a chance we can make a deal here.”

When the lawyer perked up, he continued.  “I’m interested in Senator Pratt.  Provide us with evidence you gave him kickbacks, and the prosecutor will know how cooperative you are.”  Pausing, he added the primary pressure they had.  It hadn’t been proven, but they were certain he had to be involved.  “There’s also the matter of attempted murder of a federal agent.  You rigged Agent Burke’s car to malfunction.”

“If you had any proof, you would have led with that.”  The lawyer revealed how unlikely it was for them to get a conviction of the murder attempt.  Edwards was keeping his mouth shut and anything short of absolute proof wasn’t worth the risk of being seen as an enemy of the powerful senator.

With the interview done, he was surprised to receive a phone call from an unknown number.  Answering the call in his office, it was even less expected who the caller was.  “Beckman?”

“Yes, I’m calling you in regards to the case my agent and your team is working.”  Giving a time and location, she ended the call abruptly.

Having heard of her demanding reputation, Hughes didn’t react and grabbed his jacket to leave for the meeting.

Arriving at a general government building down town, he was directed to a conference room where there was a closed door meeting being held.

“Now that everyone is here, let’s proceed.”  A man stood at the head of the table and directed for them to begin.

What followed was a Washington level meeting with the directors of multiple agencies and a select group of congressional representatives.  They were discussing how to proceed with such a high level investigation off the books to avoid being discovered.  Pratt was a powerful man with his fingers into several government projects so he wasn’t going to be an easy person to take down.  Add in his contacts in the criminal world and the International ramifications of his work, and he was the interest of many.

Sitting back to listen, Hughes heard the unofficial congressional committee and the agencies discuss the legal means of infiltrating the organization, how to draw them out, and ideas for achieving the ultimate goal of taking it down.

Taking the center of attention, Beckman introduced what her people had organized.  “While we have been discussing additional means for how to handle the multiple agency interest in this case, my agent has been making himself a target.  Bryce Larkin is the son of James Bennett and therefore has a connection to Pratt.  He is confronting the senator based on his past and recent actions.  We hope this will help speed up the case and reduce any collateral damage.”

There were questions and the meeting came to a conclusion.

Waiting to the side, Hughes expected that Beckman had more for him than to be witness to their meeting. 

When the director of the FBI accompanied her, he knew they were serious, and he sensed it had something to do with his earlier conversation with Edwards.  His own day of reckoning had likely come.

“Directors.”  He greeted them in general.  “I take it Pratt has something intended for me?”

The director of the FBI answered.  “You are retiring today.  He has called for your job or your head, so we prefer to lose your official help.”

“Official, so you want to me to remain involved in some way.” 

“As a consultant.  You are a mentor to Agent Burke, in contact with my agents, and aware of Caffrey’s real identity which makes you the perfect go between should we need you.”  Beckman further explained.

Nodding his head, he had known it was likely to come down to something like this.  At least he was alive and would be able to continue assisting with the case from the outside.  It was better than he had hoped for.  “Should I expect an official call when I get back to the office?”

“Yes.  Your paperwork has already been arranged and we are operating under the pretense that you were receiving this information instead of attending our meeting.  Now that you know more about what is going on, your contact will keep you up to date.”  The director of the FBI finished the conversation and returned to his work. 

Directing him towards the door, Beckman indicated for him to walk with her.  “Have you told Agent Burke any of the things you know?”

“No.  As much as he deserves to know someday, the case is still too sensitive right now.”  He had to admit. 

“Good.  Bryce has insisted that Burke be told when the time is right.  I know I might as well allow it when the time comes.  It’s not like he would withhold that kind of information from a fellow agent he actually trusts and considers a friend.”  She was being more friendly than usual. 

Noting that she saw Bryce as more than just an agent, more like something of a friend, Hughes knew it would work to Bryce’s advantage.

Reaching the front door, she went to her waiting car with her body guards, while he went for a taxi. 

Knowing what was coming, he let the situation play out as if he hadn’t been forewarned, but didn’t act surprised because it was a known possible outcome from messing with a powerful senator.

As he was boxing up his personal possessions, Peter paid him a visit.  The agent was still out on medical leave, but he was upset to learn that his boss was paying for his actions.

“Reese, I did this.” 

“This isn't about you, Peter.  I signed off on the op.  I knew the risks.”  It wasn’t Peter’s fault, and he didn’t want to leave him feeling guilty.

“Pratt can't get away with this.”

“Then don't let him.”  “He shook Peter’s hand and walked out of the office.

Every agent stood in respect and watched him walk by.  They knew what was happening, and it wasn’t something they liked. 

Turning around to face them, he didn’t have much to say.  “No one could ever ask for a better team than I found in you.”  It was all inclusive and yet personal all the same.  They were the best team of agents he had ever had the honor to work with.

Pushing the down button on the elevator, the doors opened quickly to reveal Neal about to exit.  The man paused to look at him questioningly.

Squaring his shoulders, Hughes knew Neal deserved a comment.  “Thank you for your service, Caffrey.”

He looked disappointed, but reached out to shake his hand.  “Thank you, sir.”

Dropping his usual stern distance, he opted for a more real comment.  Neal really was the best he had ever seen, especially in the espionage field.  Not many could last years in the FBI with the archeologist for their best friend while retaining their cover.

“Take care of Peter.”  That was his biggest concern and most pressing request.  The agent had already been hurt once, but he wouldn’t stop, and neither would Pratt.

“I will.”  There was his promise, and that wasn’t something the agent liked to go back on.

Exchanging a final look with the young man, he took the elevator and left the building.

Placing his call as soon as he was safely away, he reached out to his contact and requested a tap on his old office line.  If he couldn’t be in the office to watch his team’s backs, then he would watch from afar.

*******

Nothing too troublesome came through Calloway’s line for a while.  She wasn’t an agent he would like to work with, but she wasn’t directly endangering his team yet. 

Then the incriminating evidence came with the recording of her warning Pratt about the evidence and working on the plan with him to close Peter and the team out.  She was aiding and abetting him in the destruction of evidence.

Calling Peter early in the morning, he arranged a meeting before Pratt could arrive in town and in the hopes of giving Peter and Neal time to prepare. 

Sitting in one of his favorite restaurants, he ordered his coffee and breakfast while he waited for Peter to arrive. 

“I thought one of the perks of retirement was sleeping in late.”  Peter happily announced as he snuck up behind him.

Laughing, he had missed that easy sense of humor.  “They say that men who retire early have an eighty percent greater chance of dying young, so you’ll excuse me for not taking it easy just yet.”  That was part of his reason for staying active, but helping his team catch a corrupt senator who had eluded the law for thirty years was the main reason.

“What's going on?”

Chuckling, Hughes told a brief story of his retirement, with a few additions Peter didn’t know about.  “I've been in this business for 30 years, and I've made a few friends.”

“What are your friends telling you?”  That was obviously the reason for the meeting.

His contact had assisted him in his spying on Callaway, so he knew a lot of what had been going on.  “Your instincts are right about Pratt.  You and Callaway spoke last night.”

“How do you know?”

“Some of those friends are at the NSA.  This is a phone call recorded at eleven fifty seven last night, placed from Callaway's office.”

“Tapping the bureau.  Reese.”  Peter was slightly admonishing.

“Listen.”  He had the full backing of the FBI and NSA, so there was no fear of repercussions.

Slipping the ear buds in, Peter heard the conversation and knew they were going to have a tough race ahead of them.

When Peter had put the ear buds down, Hughes continued.  “Pratt booked a train in from D.C.  He'll be here in a few hours.”

“And Callaway is in his pocket.”  Peter focused on the proof of what he had suspected all along.

“It doesn't matter at this point.  Pratt is dirty, Peter.  Now, to take him down, you got to get to the evidence first, before Callaway.”  He redirected the younger agent’s focus back to the problem at hand.

“That's gonna be a problem.  We're sending agents into the Empire State Building to do a sweep.”

“I know. I heard the whole conversation.”  Hughes had heard many conversations, and not just those that Callaway had been participating in.

“How do I keep her away from it?”

It was an expected question.  Since Hughes knew about the situation and had reached out, he likely had a plan.  “How bad do you want him?

“He tried to kill me, Reese.”  Peter wanted him bad.

“Well, then, do it the way you've been doing things for the past few years.  Use Caffrey.  Do whatever you have to do.”  He pointed him the direction he had been ordered.  Peter needed to work with Neal and let the agent do his job.

“I can't go outside the law.”

Giving him a speech about how he was representing the law while Callaway and Pratt were breaking the law, Hughes added the needed encouragement by pushing the right buttons. Amused, Peter chuckled.  “You always told me working with Caffrey would put me dangerously close to the line.”

Having learned a lot about Neal over the years, it was time to push the case towards its conclusion.  It was intended to be over by the end of the day.  “Sometimes you have to redraw those lines to stay within them.”  Besides, Peter was still technically working within legal lines, just the looser CIA and NSA ones instead of the FBI.

“Hmm.” Peter hummed thinking about that.

Letting the agent think while the server brought his food, Hughes hoped he had pushed the right buttons for Peter to let Neal do his job, but not too hard to reveal that he had secret information.  Beckman had been clear that it wasn’t ‘the right time’ for Peter to know everything yet.

Having come to his conclusion, Peter excused himself and left the restaurant pulling his phone out of his pocket.

When Peter was sufficiently far away, the colonel slid into his seat and ordered a light breakfast.  He wasn’t staying long, but he needed to eat.

“He calling Bryce and his father?”

“I assume so.  He’ll need their help if he is going to achieve the goal.”  Hughes dug into his breakfast.  The other agent wasn’t overly talkative and wouldn’t say much.

“We’re going to be arresting James by the end of the day too.  It’s suspected that he has ulterior motives for retrieving the evidence box and is likely to do something stupid.  The boss has ordered Bryce to plant several cameras to ensure whatever it is, it’s caught on tape.” 

Settling in to silently eat their meals, the two veterans appeared to be quiet to the other patrons, but the early hours reduced the odds of anyone paying too much attention to them.

When they had finished eating, the colonel grunted.  “Take care, Hughes.  The case should be wrapped up within a few hours.”

Receiving multiple messages, Hughes learned that James’ plan was to murder Pratt, but he had left Peter as the fall guy.  The colonel had arrested James, and Neal’s evidence would clear Peter behind the scenes. 

Rubbing a hand down his face, he was dismayed to learn it wasn’t going to be a public event, but that they were going to keep Neal’s cover intact to ensure there wasn’t any additional fall out.

*******

Over the following months, Peter was released from prison, he and Neal had a bumpy relationship, and Neal eventually died taking down the Panthers.

Answering Peter’s call, Hughes suspected what was coming.  “Hughes… Neal…”  Peter paused to take a deep breath.  “Keller killed him during the Panther’s sting.  We’re holding a funeral for him this weekend if you would like to attend.” 

“What is the time and place?”  Even though it was a fake funeral, Peter would need all the support he could get.  Despite their rough periods, he still cared about his best friend.

Keeping his control, Peter managed to tell him the details.  Sighing, he wasn’t taking the loss well.  “We haven’t talked in a while… but, Elizabeth and I are expecting.  You should know before you see her.” 

It had been a while since they talked, so the good news was a nice diversion.  Focusing on the announcement, Hughes congratulated him.  “That is the best news I have heard in a while.  Congratulations.  Do you know if it’s going to be a boy or a girl?”  Getting the proud father to brag would help him.

“A boy.  We’re going to name him Neal.” 

As his voice caught, Hughes wished he had been better at evading that pitfall.  Still, he had to laugh.  “Would you ever have expected that in the old days?  I remember when Neal was James Bonds and nothing more than the elusive puzzle that kept you up at night.  Now you’re naming your son after him so he can keep you up at night.”

Seeing the humor, Peter had to chuckle.  “No, I never would have imagined most of the time he was in our lives, and naming my son after him would have been insulting.”

Diverting him into a conversation about his son, Hughes managed to help him feel better before ending the call.

When the day for the funeral arrived, Hughes walked into the church dressed in his suit.  He was happy to see the old team for the first time in a while, but he wished it was under better circumstances.

Greeting various people, he took his seat in the back where he could watch without drawing too much attention.

It was rather simple service with Peter, Jones, Mozzie, and a few other agents from the team performing as pallbearers when it came time to lay ‘Neal’ in the ground.  The man wasn’t in there, but he must be around somewhere in order to play the role of the dead guy for the open casket portion of the service.

Glancing around discreetly, he was sure he saw the shadow of a familiar figure watching in the distance, but he couldn’t confirm that it was Neal because he was gone as soon as he noticed him.

When the group gathered at Junes, Hughes stopped by for a brief while to honor the CI.

Standing behind Peter, he watched the tremors run down the agent’s back from time to time as he tried to bottle up his emotions.  He wasn’t hiding them, just preventing the worst of them from flowing where he could.

The efforts exhausted Peter so it didn’t take him long to retreat up to the balcony where he had spent many a morning sharing breakfast with the con when he picked him up, and many a conversation when the indoors were too confining for their comfort.

“Cappuccino in the clouds.  That is how I always described this view to him.”  Peter’s voice shook as the emotions found their escape.

Taking a supportive position, Hughes simply leaned against the wall and let Peter talk through his emotions.  He was performing as a listening ear, so there was no need to say anything.

Chuckling through the tears streaming down his face, Peter continued.  “I also called him a cartoon… what I wouldn’t give to see him walk through that door with his Fedora doing those stupid hat tricks of his.”  A sob escaped as it got harder to keep it in.

Moving to provide more physical support, Hughes put his hand on Peter’s shoulder in an effort to help comfort him.  Peter was a tough agent, but even the toughest men cry when they lose their best friend.

Standing quietly for a while, Hughes simply felt the tremors running through Peter as his grief hit him again.  Despite knowing that the man was alive, he couldn’t help feel for the agent beside him causing his face to soften for his friend.  Knowing it was Peter’s and Bryce’s family’s safety on the line was the only thing preventing him from blurting what he knew, but the risk was enough to keep him silent.

Eventually, Peter calmed down and rubbed his hands over his face before scrubbing his eyes.  Taking a few moments to clean himself up, he sighed.  “Thanks.  This is worse than when he escaped to the island.  At least then I knew he was alright out there… somewhere.”  He sniffed.

“Grief is a part of life Peter.  Neal and you were the best partnership I ever saw, despite the risks involved.  It doesn’t hurt to miss your best friend, but don’t forget to keep on living.”  Neal would be upset if his efforts to protect his friend hurt him significantly in a different way.  Not to say that Peter’s grief wasn’t significant, but it would be worse if he let it get the best of him.

“I know life goes on.  There is my wife and son to think of, but right now…”  He refused to look at Hughes.  Looking out at the unfeeling cityscape helped him retain what control he had regained.

“Right now you need to grieve, and this is the time you do it.  Tomorrow you grieve a little less, and less the next day.  Then eventually life will seem to have gained a new normal.  You’ll laugh, and smile again without the regret that he isn’t here.  Maybe you’ll holler at little Neal for something and be reminded by the tone of how you used to watch out for his name sake.  The tears will come again, but life will go on.”  Hughes squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.  “I’ve seen a lot of friends go over the years.  If not in the field working for the FBI, then illness and accidents have taken many.  It doesn’t seem like life will ever be the same, and it won’t, but it will find a new normal.  You’ll be okay, Peter.”

Thanking his friend again, Peter took a few more minutes to pull himself together again.  He needed the release, and he was feeling a little better for it.  The grief wasn’t over, but another wave had passed.

Walking behind him, Hughes redirected his attention to the good memories by starting into a story from the office involving Neal.  Making Peter laugh a little, he was glad he could be present to help support his friend.  Someday Peter would know the truth, but until then, he needed to adjust to the current circumstances where Neal was supposedly dead.

Leaving after a little while, Hughes was relieved to know the team was in good hands taking care of each other.  They would be alright.

*******

It was a year later when Peter showed up at Hughes home.  He invited himself over without any warning and ended up pacing around the back patio while Hughes was finishing his breakfast.

Sitting the dishes aside and sipping his coffee, Hughes instructed Peter to share what was going on.

“Neal is alive!  That…”  He took a moment trying to think through what word to use.  “He is a taskforce agent working with some group called Carmichael Industries, and he is alive!  His death was faked, the conman persona, everything…” 

Observing, Hughes noticed that Peter was working through his shock with anger.  He had grieved a great deal over the previous year and he didn’t want to cry anymore.  Instead, he was angry for all of the grief and pain he had gone through needlessly.

“So, they decided it was time to tell you.  Finally, the only reason I didn’t was because you life was potentially at stake.  If they didn’t go for you, then your family would have been a target.”  Hughes finally released the burden of knowledge.  Peter knew, so he could finally share that he had known.

“You knew?  Hughes…”  Peter’s anger turned on him in disbelief.

Holding up a hand, Hughes forestalled the angry torrent building in the agent’s mind.  “I’ve known he wasn’t what he appeared to be since Fowler was an issue.  As the trouble was brewing, I met a contact of mine who happens to be one for Neal as well.  He recognized Neal’s picture for the agent he actually is and reacted slightly.  Our conversation led to him researching what Neal was doing while I dug around where I could to find out who he was.  Eventually my contact told me some, and then the rest came as necessary.  When I was forced out, Neal’s people were working with the FBI to catch Pratt so I was allowed a different angle to continue helping with the investigation.  Finally, when Neal was supposedly killed, I was told why, and so I did my best to support you without telling the truth.”  Using his facial expression, he told Peter he wasn’t done yet when it looked like the agent was going to interrupt.  “The Panthers, Peter.  They target those closest to whomever gets in their way, and Neal did more than get in their way.  By faking his death, he was able to pull out of the grasp of others in the FBI who were abusing their power to keep him while also protecting you and your family.  Would you rather anyone died for real?”

Calming down significantly, Peter paused in his movement.  “No.”  He seemed to melt as he slid into a seat.  “It’s just… he is my best friend, and I thought he trusted me.”

“When he started working with you, his distrust of agents was real and caused by many betrayals.  It was also real as he learned to trust you and relaxed his stance knowing you had his back.  This wasn’t about him trusting you; it was about him protecting you.”  Hughes talked him through the next part.

As Peter’s body language reflected him calming down further, he was beginning to look relaxed.  “Was it the plan to tell me eventually?”

“Yes, once Neal felt you were his friend and he had learned to trust you, he insisted on you being told at some point.  The bosses and situation were a lot of what dictated how and when.” 

Losing the last of his tension, Peter seemed to have the basic answers.  His friendship was real, the trust was real, and it was all done to protect him and his family.  “I’m still not happy he couldn’t tell me, or thrilled to know about all I wasted trying to catch and reform an undercover agent… but I would do most of it again, maybe all of it…”

Chuckling slightly, Hughes was glad to see Peter coming to terms with the reveal.  “It changes how you see things doesn’t it?”

“What?”  Peter’s head perked up curiously.

“Knowing the truth, seeing the cause behind the effect, and knowing that some things have to be no matter how much they might hurt.”

“Hmm.”  Peter nodded as he absorbed that.  “It does.  What do you suggest going forwards?”

Shrugging as he sat reclined in his seat, Hughes didn’t have the picture anymore. “I haven’t been asked to participate in anything since his faked death.  Have you heard anything from him or the bosses?”

“I got a message from Neal on a wine cork, followed it to the storage unit where he kept the stuff from faking his death, and found a newspaper.  It had a current article about a security consultant working with Carmichael Industries to improve security in Parisian museums.  Investigating Carmichael and his team led me to Neal being Bryce, which led to his agency records.  No one has talked to me beyond a phone call indicating that paperwork for keeping the secret can be expected.  Who would have thought I would end up signing nondisclosure forms on my CI?”  He shared some of the details.

“Don’t forget, I signed them years ago after I officially learned who he is.  Did you find anything of his current status for the agency?”  He had an idea, but wouldn’t broach it until he knew more.

“Yeah, he is partially retired and mostly works with his friend or alone on various consulting jobs.  Why?”  Peter hadn’t thought about it yet, probably because it was all new to him.

“What about asking him to consult for you?  He isn’t a criminal so the contract would be different, and who knows, you might even persuade him to jump agencies in the long run.”  Hughes smiled.

Shocked, it was a new thought for Peter.  “Poach him?”

“Why not?  You both work well together with the record to prove it, he is consulting most of the time anyway, and you could work with your best friend again on a more open basis knowing the truth.”  Hughes hit him hard.   He knew Peter wouldn’t be able to resist the prospects of what he was suggesting.

Smiling, Peter looked like he would try the idea.  “It would be great to have him around the office again, and I would love for him to meet Neal.  We tell the boy stories, but that isn’t the same as having Neal around in person.”  Then his smile fell a little.  “I haven’t told Elizabeth yet, and something tells me she might not be so accepting of the idea.  She has watched me grieve for him over the past year…”

“Talk to her, giver her chance to know all of the information and make her own decision.  I’m sure she’ll welcome him back ultimately, but she might have some concern for you and little Neal.”  Hughes wasn’t going to guarantee how it would work out, but he had been around Elizabeth for years and was aware of how much she liked Neal for himself.  It was just the effect his presence had on her husband and family that concerned her.

Beginning to smile again, Peter knew she would ultimately be happy too.  “You’re right.  I should give her a call, ask her to meet me for lunch so we can talk.”  His mind was obviously moving forward to taking action.  “How do you do it?”  Peter turned from where he was already moving towards the gate to exit.

“The boss perspective, Peter.  It changes how you see things.”  Hughes tipped his cup of coffee toward the younger agent in a salute.

Waving his thanks, Peter took off with a smile.  He had things to do.

It didn’t take long before he got the announcing call.  Elizabeth was thrilled after some hesitation, Peter was exuberant in the new partnership with Neal back on the team as a consultant, Neal had been easily persuaded to draw up a new contract, and the FBI was eager to have such an agent work with them in the hopes of poaching him.

Exchanging texts with his contact, they had each been successful in encouraging the partnership and beginnings towards another task force.  Exactly like the bosses wanted.

It was mission success after a very long process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading, commenting/reviewing, and leaving kudos :D
> 
> There is nothing specifically up next for posting. I have my list of completed stories on my fanfiction.net profile page (link in my profile page here) with descriptions for you to choose from. Please note your choice in a comment and I'll line your requests up for a posting order :D

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing/commenting, leaving kudos, following, and choosing to favorite :D
> 
> This story is my birthday present to Quinis for her upcoming day :D It is four chapters and I will be posting a chapter a day ending on Sunday.


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